Order 66-S
by Disco Shop Girl
Summary: The order was to exterminate all Jedi: Past, Present and Future. Captain Rex has a different plan. Order 66-S: to save General Skywalker.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Inspired by the Clone Wars Season 4 Arc starting with 'Darkness on Umbara' where Captain Rex and the 501st learn to think for themselves. Having watched any of that series is not necessary to enjoying this story, just know that we made and lost a lot of friends along the way. A lot of them are resurrected here.

* * *

Captain Rex looked at the blue figure standing on Cody's arm, a grotesque and hunched Chancellor Palpatine commanding that Order 66 be carried out and the Jedi be exterminated. Rex nodded once that he'd heard that message, and listened as Cody relayed that it would be done. Then he turned away from his brother and took a deep breath. He'd hoped this day would never come. But he and his battalion, men taught to think for themselves under General Skywalker's command, had planned for it.

He lifted his arm and hit a series of buttons to com his closest brothers, every man in his platoon, in the one transmission.

"This is Captain Rex. The order has come directly from the Chancellor. Shadow stalkers," he addressed one flank of ARC troopers " – execute order 66-S1, Boyle in lead. New Hope, execute Order 66-S2, you're with me."

"Sir yes sir!" came the affirmative simultaneous call of all his men.

He turned back to see Cody deactivating his own com, having relayed the vile message from the Chancellor to all his men. Cody's men would be destroying the Jedi. Captain Rex's would...not.

The two leaders didn't waste time, they were efficient – well trained and hardened by a life filled with battle and cunning. They nodded to one another, each swivelled tightly on their boots, and stalked off in opposite directions.

"Good bye old friend," Rex muttered under his breath, truly feeling remorse. It was the last time he would see Commander Cody.

A laden troop carrier swept down before him and without hesitation he jumped aboard. It barely paused, already lifting off and swung a sharp upward right then slammed away from the Jedi temple at break-neck speed.

* * *

His brothers were storming the temple, efficiently dispatching Jedi young and old as they crossed the paths of efficient rank and file storm troopers. Boyle led his own team – Shadow Stalkers – in a different way, much more quiet and crafty as they slipped up ventilation shafts and ducked into maintenance conduits. The layout of the temple that Dogma had memorised precisely over nights of studying.

Without saying a word Dogma held up a hand and made a fist. They all halted, went still and silent as they waited. Dogma signalled an access panel then quickly began typing. A holoprojection of the entire Jedi temple appeared, small lights moving across the plan.

"Every light is a Jedi," Dogma said softly. He pressed some more buttons and one lonely blinking light remained. "Skywalker," he unnecessarily informed, having tracked their target. "He's alone."

"Of course he has to be in a spire," Boyle muttered. "That makes things harder."

Dogma nodded, shut down the projection and pointed upwards, into a garbage shoot. Men started preparing their tow-cables and grappling hooks.

Boyle paused to touch a button on his arm and began instructing the pilot who waited three clicks away already strapped into a transport. "We're going to be in the Council Chamber, up one of those spires. You'll need to extract us directly from there," he softly relayed their plan. "Be ready, we need to be there and gone, this needs to be done _quietly_."

"Yes sir," came the clear reply and over the com he heard the soft whine of engines powering up.

Boyle deactivated the wrist com, then readied his own equipment.

"On my mark," he ordered, pointing. "Mark."

With a sharp crack twenty tow-cables fired straight up into the metal shaft and twenty grappling hooks found purchase, digging into the smooth round walls. They each grabbed on tight and fired the retraction trigger, beginning to ascend up the spire that would take them even deeper into the Jedi Temple.

Dogma stopped them about halfway up and they swung into a shallow landing, detaching their cables. He swiftly depressed an access panel and a door popped open right in front of them. Immediately they were exposed, out in the temple's grand halls. Far more advanced into the operation to seize the temple than their comrades from other battalions.

"Single access point," Dogma led the entire squad into a turbo lift and they started rising quickly. Directly up the spire, straight to the council chamber.

In his head Boyle was planning what would happen when they reached the top. How the hell they were going to accomplish this, when he'd served under the man long enough to know it was nigh on impossible.

Then again this was Skywalker, and impossible was their mission statement. There was no option for failure.

Under Captain Rex's command they had prepared all they could in advance. Not knowing when the day would come, they'd had to always be readied. He hoped Shadow Stalkers were ready now.

"Sedative?" Boyle queried the group.

"Dart," a voice popped up from the back in answer. They all turned and looked as one piece of white armour retracted over a forearm to reveal a custom hidden compartment concealing a tiny dart. "Dipped in a heavy tranquiliser," the trooper relayed. "Drop him in five seconds."

Boyle nodded in confirmation.

"Gas," another voice popped up. It was Scar, carrying the team's pack of explosives on his back. He loosened an armstrap and tugged the pack forward, digging in the bag until he withdrew a canister that didn't match the rest of the standard grenades.

He held the shiny canister up for everyone to see. "Vaporised spice," he explained precisely. "Will fill a room of twenty metres square and knock the subject unconscious in two minutes. Our helmets will filter it."

"Two minutes is a long time for him to do damage," a doubting voice sounded.

"We cannot fail men," Boyle interrupted that kind of talk. "Blasters set to stun."

The turbo lift reached the top and the talking ceased. Hand signals had them fanning out in the antechamber, cautiously and methodically approaching the door to the hallowed Council meeting room. The gas grenade was prepped with the button depressed and ready for release. The plan was to toss it in first and follow with blasters on stun. Keep him occupied long enough to have him pass out.

But this was Skywalker, and things never went to plan.

Just as they were preparing to enter the doors hissed open before them and Skywalker stomped out. He was just as startled to see them as they were to be caught. Everyone froze for a split second. Everyone bar Waksa, who slapped his dart into the bare skin at Skywalker's neck.

Anakin tugged at the pinprick, missed it because it was so fine and tried again. Once he had it he looked at the Kaminoan dart in confusion then whirled and eyed the trooper with hatred. Right before he passed out.

"Well that was easy," Boyle watched in surprise as Skywalker's tall and heavy frame thunked to the ground at their feet.

Four men moved in and started to lift him.

Activating his com Boyle demanded a crisp "Evac evac evac," and they hurried into the council chamber. "Seal the doors," He needed to buy more time in case their brothers made it this far looking for Jedi.

Two men were left to fiddle with the wiring. The rest approached the window.

"We've got to break the transparisteel so we can board the transport."

Scar turned and offered his back, laden with the pack of explosives. They began establishing a perimeter around one window, laid the beeping charges then backed away from the shiny balls and their deadly countdown. The team hid behind a half-wall, Skywalker's body protected behind them.

The simultaneous explosion blew out not just one but all the windows, sending shattering transparisteel raining down on Coruscant below and smoke billowing from the room. Not one but two twin transports appeared.

Boyle titled his head in confusion.

"Executing order 66-S1 sir!" The second pilot was crisp and clear in his headset.

He looked between them confusedly then shook his head.

"We'll sort this out later," he said under his breath. "Waksa, take ten men and fly north, throw anyone who may have cottoned on off the scent." Waksa's group shot cables out to the waiting transport and hung, waiting.

"Everyone else, lets get him out of here."

Both transports were hastily loaded with equal numbers of men and quickly shot in opposite directions with their captured Jedi.

* * *

"She's not gonna like this," Rex worried to his second as they banked above the streaming Coruscant traffic and towards a ritzy residential centre.

He'd spent enough time with Senator Amidala to know she would not come without an argument.

"Then we should do it quiet-like," Sneaks offered up an alternative way to fulfil this mission.

Rex glanced at his Chrono. Two minutes had already passed since the order was issued. "We don't have the time," he brushed that idea aside.

"Three minutes sir," the pilot's voice crackled in his radio.

He nodded but didn't respond. Instead he took off his helmet and looked at his men. The small group, only ten of them, filled barely half the transport leaving the rest obviously empty. They were under-manned on the most important mission of his life.

"This can't be violent," he said firmly. "No one touches her. If she or the child is harmed, Skywalker will not be happy. Understood?"

"Sir yes sir!" came the firm response in unison.

"I'll try to reason with her," Rex continued outlining the plan. He nodded to Echo and the soldier withdrew an illicit flat disk from his thigh casing and touched a button.

A small holo popped up before them, detailed schematics of the inside of Senator Amidala's apartment.

"We go in from the Veranda," Rex jabbed at the holo to show the exposed Veranda that would act as a landing platform. "From there, fan out in pairs. We don't know which room she's in."

He held up his wrist in explanation "We'll need to sync chronos at touchdown. From then we have exactly two minutes until her security arrives which means we need to be gone."

"How are we going to be gone in two minutes if she can't be touched?" someone asked in disbelief.

"I'll try and talk her around. Boyle will have Skywalker by then, hopefully that will be enough."

"One minute sir. Prepare for contact," the pilot announced into their headsets. Then softly swore at what he could see through his enhanced vision goggles. "Sir, she's standing on the balcony. She'll see us coming."

"Damn," Rex looked at Echo's carefully stolen schematic.

"There's only one unguarded entrance," Echo confirmed what Rex feared.

They looked at one another, knowing there was no alternative.

"Fly straight for it pilot," he confirmed his orders. He handed Echo his helmet, dangerously choosing to go out with no protective armour concealing his face. "She likes to talk. We'll talk."

"Sir?" Echo asked, not liking where this was going.

"Everyone else stay on board!" Rex commanded. "Be ready."

"And that annoying droid is with her," the pilot's voice continued to relay what he could see.

"Ah geez," Rex rolled his eyes, knowing just which golden droid he was referring to.

The craft slowed and the access door slid open.

"Two minutes, mark," Echo called to the team.

Rex synched his chrono too.

His pilot had done a precision job, a single step and he was standing on the Senatorial apartment's balcony, confronting a wary and alert but slowly retreating Senator Amidala.

When she caught sight of him she seemed to pause.

"Senator Amidala," he began placatingly, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this.

"Captain Rex," she greeted and it was he that was startled.

"You know who I am?" he was too confused to think about what he was saying, or that he was wasting precious seconds.

"Of course Captain, we've met many times," Padmé studied him curiously. "You work under Master Skywalker's command."

Rex had never met a civilian who could tell one clone from another.

"And you've personally had my back in a firefight at least three times in the past year," she continued, a slight smile coming up onto her features. "What can I do for you today?" She looked past him to the armoured transport that was nowhere near capacity, only a smattering of his men latched on to the supports.

Rex shook his head to try and clear the fog. This woman was extraordinary, like no one he'd ever met. And that brief introduction had just confirmed it for him. She was getting the full truth and hopefully she could handle it.

"In this firefight I have your back again," he announced. "An order has been issued to exterminate the Jedi. Across the galaxy their troopers are hunting them down and turning on them, killing them. The order is one we cannot disobey."

Padmé's eyes widened, her facial features stiffening with shock.

"Most will not question it and can't fight it. Make no mistake, the Jedi will be wiped out."

Padmé reached back to grasp the edge of the sofa.

"A mission gone bad in the shadow lands a few years ago showed some of us from the 501st that orders should not always be blindly followed. We may be clones but we can think for ourselves," Rex hurried to explain, hoping she was taking this all in.

"60 seconds," Echo's voice quietly warned from the ship, only barely audible over the passing traffic.

"Milady," he softened his voice. "I don't have nearly enough men I trust to prevent this genocide. But we know the Jedi are not all the same, just as clones are not all the same. The order is to wipe out all Jedi: present, past...and future."

His eyes turned down to her stomach meaningfully and Senator Amidala, smart woman that she was, understood the implication immediately. Her hand reached down to cover the swell and her eyes turned suspicious as she demanded "How do you –"

A percussive explosion in the distance made them both duck then look in the Jedi temple's direction. Smoke billowed from one of the spires.

Rex's eyes widened then he growled under his frustrated breath "I said to do this _quiet_ ," as a shock wave boomed out across the sector.

"We have to _go_!" Echo called out to hurry him.

"My lady," Rex turned back to her, getting frantic. "General Skywalker has risked his life for each of us a thousand times in battle. Now we are risking ours to save him and his future. If I know," his eyes crossed her stomach. "Then others know. Please, you must come with us now."

Padmé's eyes drifted to the temple and the dark smoke pouring from it.

"Threepio," she said quietly, not turning to look at the droid. "Get my cloak. Hurry."

"Yes of course Mistress Padmé," Threepio assured and clankered off.

"Where's Master Skywalker?" Padmé was still wary but he could tell he'd gotten through.

At that moment Rex's wrist began beeping and he touched a button. Boyle appeared in holo miniature and relayed "we've got him sir. Unharmed. We're in retreat."

Rex's heart raced. They were going to pull it off.

Echo jumped off the transport and jogged up beside him, an active holo on his own wrist. "You're going to want to hear this sir."

A quick head nod was given to Rex from a familiar looking figure. "Admiral Yularen," Rex greeted warily.

"Captain Rex, I believe you're on a rescue mission. I have two Republic Cruisers at your disposal. We're orbiting Coruscant now."

"Cruisers?" Rex repeated in disbelief. Thousands of men, massive firepower – how did they have two cruisers? Was this a trap?

"The order was received to execute order 66," Yularen relayed. "So that's what my men are doing. Executing Order 66. _**S**_." He said the most important letter at the end. A secret code. Which meant somehow, he knew. Somehow Yularen's command was one of the trusted, and with his commitment came half his fleet.

The code lacked a number Rex couldn't help noting with military efficiency. Yularen has said 66- _S_ , not S1 or S2. Which meant Yularen's planning had started some months ago, before they'd known of the Amidala complication.

Rex nodded. "Thank you Admiral. You've got two teams inbound, one to each cruiser. The first should jump to lightspeed as soon as the cargo is onboard. We'll rendezvous at the coordinates."

He didn't give them. If Yularen had truly been brought into the fold then he should know what the rendezvous coordinates were.

"Agreed," Yularen said crisply. "We await your arrival. Be quick. We're likely to attract attention since we're just sitting here, not shooting at Jedi," his dry wit passed over Rex's head.

"Rex out," Echo hit the button to end the transmission but remained at Rex's side.

"Boyle, you get that?" Rex turned to his own link.

"Yes sir," Boyle's blue image confirmed before he looked away to issue orders. "Boys lock tight the doors and pressurise the cabin for atmospheric exit. Pilot, get into orbit and head straight for the _Defiance_ ," he named Admiral Yularen's primary command.

"Jump to lightspeed immediately," Rex stressed that order. "Rendezvous at the coordinates, we'll follow with the Senator."

He looked to Padmé with an eyebrow raised in question.

She took her cloak from Threepio and began striding toward the troop transport. "Yes," she confirmed, pulling the material around her. "Let's go Threepio. R2."

The golden droid hurried behind her towards the transport as well and R2 appeared from nowhere with an affirmative excited beep. Rex winced, imagining the days of babbling from those two droids ahead of them.

"At least we got the Senator," Echo offered under his breath in commiseration.

A hurried call of "Stop!" followed by a blaster shot fired behind them just as the Senator was stepping onto the transport. Captain Rex ducked, fired back to cover their flank as he and Echo raced across the balcony.

Two more shots reached them but bad aim meant they didn't hit. As soon as the troopers were on board the transport shot away from her apartment. Captain Rex saw Senator Amidala manage to grab onto an arm strap, but only just.

"Lock her up tight," he called an order to his team to shut all the transport's doors lest they lose their precious cargo out the openings on a sharp turn.

"Pilot," he snapped into his com. "We've got a pregnant woman on board. Keep it simple," he followed up with a second demand.

Then he positioned himself next to the Senator and held out an arm to steady her. Echo did the same on the other side. These troop transports weren't made for civilian transport but he'd be damned if Skywalker's woman got injured on his watch.

They'd shot free of the atmosphere and seemed to be free of pursuers. His eyes caught the bright blue flash of large hyperdrive engines moving a large bulk to lightspeed. Beside it a twin Republic Cruiser remained alone. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised what that meant.

" _Defiance_ away," the pilot in his headset relayed.

"And General Skywalker with it," he confirmed for his men.

A simultaneous cheer went up around them, deafeningly echoing in the space. Senator Amidala even smiled.

"Captain you have incoming," Yularen's voice sounded to all of them. "Star fighters, one squad, coming up fast behind you."

"We've only got one gunner," Rex panicked, looking around at his woefully small team. He'd split the forces unevenly, reasoning that bringing Skywalker down would be the more difficult challenge. "And no shields," he looked at the plain steel walls of their transport, wondering if he'd saved Senator Amidala from assassination only to kill her moments later in a space battle.

"Launching X-wings," Yularen told both Rex and his own bridge simultaneously. "Divert all power to speed Captain, we'll handle defense."

"You heard him," Rex barked forward to his pilot. "Give it everything you've got."

They could all feel the engines starting to whine higher. "The _Saviour_ is four clicks and closing," the co-pilot counted off.

A weak shot, from too far away, still tagged them, pinging against the locked outer door.

"Three and a half," the co-pilot monitored.

The floor started vibrating as the engines were pushed into overdrive.

They banked as two X-wings appeared as escort.

"Three," the countdown got closer.

They could hear shots whizzing past now. The sound of metal tagging their hull as they copped debris from a clipped wing exploding nearby.

"Two and a half."

The engines were being pushed to screaming and then there was sickening sound of _CRACK!_ Followed by the sound of metal tearing free.

"We lost engine one," the pilot's calm voice crackled. "Diverting fuel."

"Two," the co-pilot joined him.

Everyone's eyes flew up as a blaster shot punctured their hull and air started screaming out of a tiny hole. All eyes then switched to Senator Amidala. All clone troopers were wearing armour with helmets, pressurised enough to withstand a few minutes in space. She wore a thin silk dress. Her eyes widened as she realised it at the same time as everyone else. She would die without oxygen and at the rate they were losing it, they had less than a minute.

"Sooner, rather than later pilot," she called loudly to the front cockpit, her voice steady and sure.

Rex looked at her in astonishment, and refrained from putting his own helmet on. A show of solidarity.

"Yes milady," the co-pilot called back.

"One click in. Hold steady back there, we're coming in hot."

Captain Rex and Echo made a silent pact and braced their forearms around the pregnant Senator. She had both arms grasping her wrist strap now.

"Here we go," the co-pilot screamed.

There was a mild bump as they passed through the atmospheric shields into the belly of the Cruiser but then they slammed into the crew deck and it was hard. Rex kept as rigid as he could and he could feel Echo holding the woman tight as they rebounded into a support pillar then skidded along a wall. Just as they were slowing he heard the tell tale _whomp_ of a fuel reserve catching fire.

"Evacuate," he screamed.

The doors flew open and his men jumped out, fire droids launching from the cruiser's walls with hoses extended and retardant blasting. The Senator was right behind them and Rex, had he the time, would have been impressed with the speed she moved. He threw a look over his shoulder and confirmed the pilots were already gone, grabbed the golden droid and scrambled from the ship. R2 had activated his gas rockets and was moving fast away from the pending explosion.

"All X-Wings return to base. Close the blast doors and prepare to launch into hyperspace," Yularen's disembodied voice echoed through the hanger bay over loudspeekers.

Rex had just gotten behind a pillar when the fuel tank caught and exploded, shrapnel shooting out in every direction.

"Senator Amidala!" one of his men called in horror and he saw her fall forward but saw nothing else as he ducked for cover under a low-hanging maintenance bay.

It only took a few seconds for the firedroids to move back in and have the scene under control, another minute to extinguish the fire entirely.

Rex put Threepio down and abandoned him in the maintenance corner, making a dash for the last position he'd seen the Senator before she went down. When he rounded a stack of supply crates he saw her sitting up, Echo's bare hand putting pressure to a dark pool of blood on her bare upper arm.

"Senator?" he asked, visually assessing to see if there was any other major damage.

She looked alert and for that he was grateful.

"A mere flesh wound," she glanced down, wincing as Echo pressed harder.

"Thank god," Captain Rex dropped to her side in relief.

They glanced over at the sound of metal clanking to see a squadron of X-Wings passing through the atmospheric shields and landing on the deck. Just as the last one passed through the gap the ship's belly closed up and they could no longer see out to the stars through the opening.

The sound of laser fire followed after them.

"We need to get out of here," Echo looked up to where they could hear blasts impacting the ship's outer hull.

"Agreed." Rex touched his communicator. "All aboard Admiral," he relayed, a signal that they were all clear to jump.

"Hold," Yularen waited a moment and the bulk of the ship was so massive, they didn't even feel it moving out of normal space. "We are now at lightspeed. Expected time to the rendezvous coordinates with multiple jumps to disguise our destination is three days."

"We succeeded," Rex said in disbelief, sinking back on his knees.

"Admiral," the Senator leaned forward and spoke into his receiver. "Is there any news on General Skywalker?"

The Admiral paused, confused as to why a female voice had suddenly interrupted his comline to Captain Rex. Flashing back Captain Rex remembered his reference to Order 66-S – the Admiral wasn't aware that the plan had needed to be updated, split into two objectives instead of one.

"We, ahhh, rescued Senator Amidala of Naboo on our way," the Captain explained as briefly as he could.

"Very well," Yularen took it in his stride. "I expect a full-report at the earliest opportunity."

"We need a med team down here," Rex moved to the next important thing, looking at the heavily bleeding wound on the Senator's arm that Echo was now trying to stop and then worriedly shifting his gaze to the more fragile problem of her unborn child. God knew how it was faring. "Quickly," he hurried the Admiral.

"Dispatching med team," Yularen confirmed up on the bridge as he issued the order into his crew pit.

"Anakin," Senator Amidala pleaded.

"My Medical lieutenant reported General Skywalker unconscious and otherwise unharmed when they escaped, Senator Amidala," Yularen kept the report flowing in his succinct way.

Padmé leaned against the shipping crates at her back and Rex watched her eyes close in relief. She sighed, then opened her eyes again. Looked down at her once beautiful gown now torn with the history of their rough landing, ringed through in places by burning debris and slowly changing colour as it soaked with her own blood.

"Admiral, please be good enough to send me your stores officer. I'll need a change of clothes."


	2. Chapter 2

Admiral Yularen strode down to his med bay, the _Saviou_ r's Captain and First Officer flanking him.

"Sir," boots clanked as he entered and every able bodied man came to attention.

He nodded and went straight for the one person who didn't belong on his crew or anyone else's. Senator Amidala was now in a stark white medical robe, sleeveless to reveal her arm. A med droid was delicately placing a final bacta patch over the wound, having cleaned away all the blood and temporarily sealed the wound.

"Senator Amidala, it's good to see you again," he greeted, his eyes inevitably shifting to the pregnancy that couldn't be concealed in the flowing hospital gown. "Apparently it has been some months," was the only comment about it he made.

Then he looked to the Medical Lieutenant attending her. That level of attention was overkill considering she had a flesh wound on an outer limb, something a med droid was more than capable of handling without supervision. He took this into consideration when he asked "is everything quite alright?"

He purposely held her gaze, did not let it drift down to the greater risk,

She nodded her head.

"The good doctor assures me no injuries were sustained there. Your men are to be congratulated."

The Admiral hesitated, and then clarified "on this particular mission, I'm not sure they're my men. This act of bravery is their own."

Padmé's features turned sombre as she asked "Admiral. What is happening? Is it true the Jedi are being –" she couldn't bring herself to use any of the terms Rex had. "Attacked?"

"Yes milady," Yularen confirmed with military efficiency. "The news is being broadcast far and wide, a bounty on every one of their heads offered by the Republic." He shook his head in disgust at the government they had come to serve. "It's an order first programmed into Clones in the maturation chamber, or so I'm told," he looked to his left shoulder. His Captain, a clone, nodded in agreement.

"And yet here we are," Padmé's look to the Captain was one that asked for explanation.

"Clones can think creatively, milady," he tilted his head, mocking the oft-spoken words that triumphed their army over that of the droids. Then he continued "I've served five years under General Skywalker. He thinks about lives first, trooper lives, and I'm alive because of him. So are my brothers. You don't repay loyalty with betrayal," he ground out the final words.

Yularen looked at his Captain with serious admiration, though he didn't let it show on his features. When he'd first caught wind of the order more than three months ago he'd been aghast that such a thing existed. Determined to stop it from happening. But with the confidence of two of his Captain's they'd teased it apart and realised there was nothing they could do but have themselves executed as traitors should they betray the secret. Luckily for Yularen, his Captains had already been planning their own roles in the mysterious Order 66-S. And he had become their co-conspirator.

To save one Jedi, amongst the destruction of them all. One cunning, brave, outlandish Jedi who could perhaps in turn save them all.

That did not explain what was going on here. In this med bay with Senator Amidala, the leader of the opposition.

"We're debriefing now if you'd like to join us," he offered.

"Very much so," Padmé glanced to the medical lieutenant who nodded his approval, then jumped down from the bed. For a moment her hand went to her swollen stomach, as if to steady it, then moved away. She remained in her medical robe but was given a heavier cloak to maintain warmth.

Then He, the Senator, his Captain and First Officer walked in silence to the briefing room.

Captain Rex joined them soon after, his armour still filthy from the fire in the hanger bay but his face freshly washed.

"Sir," he greeted Yularen.

"Captain Rex," Yularen's own gaze lit up. "I had no idea you were in on this, although I should not be surprised. Did you start it?"

He didn't make explicit what 'it' was and Rex looked at him quizzically. "Sir?"

"Order 66-S. Did you start it?" Captain Rex looked around the room, deciding whether to tell the truth.

He'd already committed treason, that much was abundantly clear by his escape from Coruscant, his absconding with Senator Amidala and his admission to knowing the order number at all. If Yularen was actually putting on a charade to capture him for the Republic, then at this point it didn't matter. He would be put to death either way.

"Yes sir," he admitted.

"How did it come about?" Yularen pressed eagerly.

He didn't realise he sounded suspicious to Captain Rex, he was so keen to finally have this mystery brought to an end. To know what had possessed these men to abandon their programming, think for themselves, be loyal to the end.

"Umbarah, sir," Captain Rex named the shadowy planet and Yularen took a seat at the briefing table in knowing understanding.

"Ahhh," the Admiral nodded in complete sympathy.

Captain Rex turned to Senator Amidala and explained "General Skywalker planned the invasion of that planet with General Kenobi, and had planned to lead our battalion personally. But he was recalled to Coruscant just as we were landing. Master _Krell,"_ he spat the name "replaced him."

Padmé winced. She knew the name – a Jedi traitor, a Sith turncoat who had been assassinated by his clone battalion.

"Krell turned clones on clones," Rex said without mercy. "Had thousands of us killed for his own amusement. Ordered us into death marches. Endangered the Republic."

That last point was one of the most important.

"That's when we started to think for ourselves. Not rogue," he pointedly emphasised. "Just consider our orders."

His gaze flicked to the porthole as he sombrely remembered "More recently a good man under my command, Fives, died while trying to tell me and General Skywalker about a mysterious plot he uncovered, it went right to the top."

When his eyes turned back to the Senator they were narrowed and filled with anger. "The next day we all had to suddenly be inoculated against some mysterious parasite they just happened to have a vaccine for. I – wasn't vaccinated," he confessed simply. "Neither were my men. We investigated what Fives had tried to tell us, that there was something inside us. He was right. An organic chip in our brains, put there when we were embryos. I had mine removed first, a trial, and soon I realised – I remembered. Order 66 – this order that calls for loyalty above all to our programming, _not_ to our experience. To kill the Jedi. After that my men all had theirs removed too."

He looked at all his clone brothers in the room, men who nodded firmly in solidarity. Every one on board this vessel had chosen to have the chip removed. Made a conscious decision to avoid their Kaminoan makers and undergo a secret medical procedure so they could carry out this final mission. Then he gave Padmé a triumphant smirk.

"So you devised Order 66-S?" Yularen wanted to know.

"Yes. Although Admiral," he turned away from Padmé to look down the table. "You're actually now executing Order 66-S2."

"S2?" the Admiral repeated in confusion.

"S1 is aboard the _Defiance_ en route to the rendezvous," Rex clarified.

The Admiral's blue eyes widened in understanding. "Skywalker," Yularen devised.

"Exactly. S2," Rex's eyes turned to an avidly listening Padmé and pinned her with his gaze. "Is here."

Yularen, his Captain, the first officer and the rest of the security staff all turned their eyes on her as well.

"Order 66 states that all past, present and future Jedi be killed," Rex repeated the nightmare he'd endured since the maturation chamber, the words that had formed once he'd had that damned chip out of his brain.

"Senator Amidala is no Jedi," the First Officer put in confusedly, a question to the more knowledgeable Captain Rex.

"No, but I do have a future one," she said softly, putting the connection together for him.

All male eyes scuttled briefly over the significant female swelling just visible over the table top.

"S2," Rex confirmed the code-name for the baby. "When my team learned Senator Amidala was expecting a child with General Skywalker we split our goals. 66-S1 and 66-S2. This was some weeks ago, but clearly, however Order 66-S originally spread, the updated plans did not do so as quickly. This news hadn't reached your command."

"I'm very glad of your intelligence Captain," Yularen's eyes had moved to Padmé's face and then out the window. "Had we not known of this connection - well. We already fear what Skywalker's reaction will be when he wakes. Had we left the Senator behind I have no doubt he would have dragged us all back here to rescue her."

"My thoughts exactly sir," Rex confirmed.

"General Skywalker would not endanger two Cruisers worth of troops, thousands of lives..." Padmé trailed off, not even able to convince herself as she was saying it. Anakin would endanger the entire galaxy if it meant he could save her and her alone. It's what made him special. And dangerous.

"Yes," Captain Rex confirmed her thoughts. "It's why we needed you to come wherever he went."

Not the child, _you_. Yularen studied the Senator with avid curiosity. Skywalker was even more of a conundrum than he'd revealed himself to be in all these years. And he hadn't thought there were any surprises left in this war.

"If you don't mind my asking sir, how did _you_ come to find out about the Order?" Captain Rex turned wary eyes his way.

"Not Umbarah, I didn't make ground landing in that battle," Yularen clarified. "And I didn't know about the chip. Clearly it was some time later, I discovered this about three months ago when I overheard my troopers on a secure comlink. I made it my business to go through the original Kaminoan purchase order line by line, and found the reference. Then I cornered those troopers and demanded to be briefed. After much debate we decided we couldn't stop it, we would only be denounced as traitors and the order would go ahead anyway. Though we couldn't be sure we would be with any Jedi when the time came, we decided to provide whatever support we could."

He turned to Senator Amidala and briefed "General Skywalker often needs firepower at his back."

The statement was woefully understating it.

She smiled for the first time, helplessly fond of his brash outlandish behaviour and penchant for finding trouble. "I'm aware he requires rescue on occasion."

"I have two trusted Captains," he waved at the one sitting beside him, "but couldn't be sure of the loyalty of the others. I don't have my entire fleet I'm afraid, but I was able to escape with the _Defiance_ and _Saviour_ including their full crew complements."

His eyes turned to Rex meaningfully. "Those troops that have most often served with the 501st."

"Anakin's command," Padmé said it in soft wonder for all of them.

"Yes," Yularen confirmed.

None of them said it, but all of them thought. Anakin was at the centre of it all. A figure that had inspired loyalty amongst thousands of officers, troopers and commandos who served alongside him.

"Where are we going now?" she moved on to the practical.

"The Rendezvous coordinates," Admiral Yularen cleared his throat. "Are somewhat remote. Outside Republic-controlled territory."

He met Rex's eyes. This was really the test. If he was in on the plan, trusted by his Captains and crew, then he would know the Rendezvous coordinates by heart. Like they all did. Not written anywhere, just memorised.

"We're going into Separatist space?" Padmé asked in surprise.

"No," Yularen's look at her was hard. "The Hutts. We're going to Tatooine."

Silence fell in the room. Padmé looked to Rex and smiled for the first time.

"Yes, I see now why you needed me. When you get Anakin to Tatooine you'll be lucky if he doesn't shoot you all on sight."

* * *

"Anakin," Padmé's soft voice was calling to him. She was unkempt and not in the freshly tumbled way he so liked. Her skin was sweaty and flushed, her hair stuck uncomfortably to her damp skin. Sitting up in a bed where she was clothed in a medical robe. Yet she was smiling the softest smile he'd ever seen. Cradling a tiny baby to her chest in wonder. She looked up just as he entered the room and brightened even more. "Anakin!" she wasn't loud, in fact she was shattered with exhaustion, but she was so joyous, tears wet her cheeks.

Anakin groaned, rolled over onto his side and then groggily sat up. A dream. It was a dream – and a force induced one at that. He rubbed his face, letting the feelings settle as the meaning of the premonition seeped inside his chest and calmed the taut tension he'd suffered for unending weeks now.

He paused and drew in a deep breath that filled his lungs. Padmé would live. His features lit as he realised the premonition was of her _after_ the baby was born. She'd been holding it, happy, calling to him not in agony but with happiness.

He pulled his hand away from his face, the gold catching in the light while a genuine smile curved his lips. The feeling of joy stayed with him, his mind settling on the image of the tiny baby she had been holding. Curled safely in a soft white blanket.

The emotions lingered and he revelled in them, let the realities of the dream remain with him. It took some time for the joy to dissipate enough that he cared where he was. When that moment came, he stiffened and looked around, assessing his surroundings, utterly confused.

This wasn't home, the grand multi-level penthouse atop 500 Republica with Padmé nearby.

He was in officer's quarters. He recognised them immediately, having slept in them often enough on transport between battle fronts. The distinct hum of hyperdrive engines vibrated through the floor so he knew he was on a ship. A corvette or a cruiser from the heavy base thrumming.

Frowning, he got to his feet, trying to think of what would possess him to fall asleep fully clothed, without even removing his utility belt. Last he remembered –

He grabbed for the wall to steady himself as his equilibrium shifted and he had a bout of vertigo. Oh he remembered alright. He'd been fleeing the Council Chambers on a fast route to the Chancellor's Office. Windu had taken the remaining members of the council to capture the Sith Lord and Anakin needed to keep him alive. He needed to save Padmé.

The Council Chamber doors had flown open at his command but barely a step outside and half a platoon of ARC troopers had appeared from nowhere. He remembered nothing after that.

"They darted me!" he remembered in disgust, trying to shake off the lethargy he now realised was a drug-induced haze.

His fingers went to his neck and he couldn't feel anything but he knew it had been there. A tiny prick.

Unsteadily he let go of the wall and took a moment to breathe deeply, finding his balance. Once he had it he took off with thundering outraged footsteps. Stormed out of his quarters and up to the bridge. He didn't know what ship he was on and now he realised he didn't have to know. He'd spent half the past three years on ships like this and could navigate them without guidance. It didn't strike him as odd that he didn't encounter a single trooper in the corridors because he was so focused on his goal. In any other mindframe he would have heard the Force, promoting him that they were all steering well clear of him on a murderous rampage.

"Captain," he roared when he entered the bridge and all eyes turned to the stark raving mad Jedi.

The Captain, highest ranking officer and clone on this ship, tentatively took a step forward towards his fate. Clearly ready to die for the transgression he and his entire crew had partaken in.

"What's going on?" Anakin demanded, palm itching to take up his lightsaber.

"General," the Captain quickly held out his hands, desperate to placate their prize turned hostage. He didn't delay in giving a full report. "Order 66 was issued," he explained. "To execute all of the Jedi immediately. Turn on any you were with and shoot them."

"WHAT?!" Anakin's eyes lit with fire and he began advancing again.

The Captain stumbled, took a hurried step back and swallowed in case it was his last as the lightsaber blade lit before him.

The bridge fell silent.

"Your battalion disobeyed that order," the Captain was amazed at how steadily he spoke. That after all this planning, all these men, all these months, it was he that actually had to reveal to Skywalker the plan they'd perfected to extract him and him alone from the massacre. "The 501st smuggled you out of the Temple the moment it was issued. We fled from Coruscant immediately, and are now moving at all speed to put distance between this ship and the rest of the army."

Anakin's threatening advance halted, so startled by the revelation. He looked at the Captain, then turned his head and begun studying each of the members of the bridge in disbelief.

"We're on board the _Defiance_ , Sir," the Captain finished his briefing and then waited, on edge.

"You disobeyed an order, to save me?" he repeated hesitantly.

It wasn't the most important point in the whole explanation, but for a man who had spent so much time around troopers, that was the most impressive.

"Yes sir," the Captain confirmed.

There was a long pause.

"Who gave the order?" Anakin's saber deactivated and without thinking he returned it to his belt.

"Chancellor Palpatine. The head of the army."

"The Sith Lord," Anakin murmured a correction. Then closed his eyes as the enormity of what he'd just been told settled on his young shoulders.

"This order 66. How widely is it being disseminated?"

"Every clone will turn on their Jedi leader," the Captain admitted quietly. "It is hard-wired into our brains, an order we can't refute. Use whatever means necessary to exterminate them." He shot a meaningful glance around those loyal men who staffed his bridge. "Only a small number of us had cause to question what that chip was and have it removed, after we'd worked with you General."

Anakin wasn't quite digesting what the Captain was telling him, only understanding that this ship and its crew had saved him. No one else.

"And the other Jedi?" he asked without hope.

Silence befell the massive bridge as no man dared to speak.

"Reports from Coruscant are not good sir," the communications officer piped up from the pit eventually. "Jedi spread thin across the galaxy fell quickly, overwhelmed by numbers. The Jedi Temple has almost been burned to the ground and images show hundreds dead. Present and future."

"Future?" Anakin's confusion about the term didn't go unnoticed and he looked down to the man, needing more explanation.

"Y-yes sir. The Younglings as well."

Younglings. A much more terrifying thought than the Knights and Masters being killed by their own troopers occurred to him. Stole the breath right out of his newly relaxed chest. Youngling. His own youngling. Padmé. He'd last seen her this morning at home and not since. She was alone and unprotected on a burning Coruscant while the entire Grand Army of the Republic hunted Jedi.

The Sith Lord had probably guessed they were married. And if Palpatine knew about the baby they were expecting like Anakin suspected he did –

"Drop out of Hyperspace. Turn the ship around. We have to go back," he immediately demanded.

"But Sir!" The Captain protested at the completely ludicrous order. "They'll kill you!"

"They won't, turn the ship around!" Anakin's lightsaber relit.

"Sir," another clone appeared on the bridge and Anakin turned his enraged eyes towards the trooper.

"Boyle," he hissed in recognition.

Boyle got down to business, knowing that calming the Jedi was the most immediate problem on all of their hands. Like Shadow Stalkers had two days before he slipped right to the heart of the problem.

"Order 66-S2 is on board the _Saviour_ and will rendezvous with us in two days," he said shortly.

"Explain yourself!" Anakin was frustrated, but so confused by words which made absolutely no sense that he paused. What did any of this mean?

"Order 66 was our original programming, to destroy all the Jedi," Boyle slowly spelled it out for him. "Some of us," he looked around the heavily staffed bridge with a meaningful sweep of his gaze. "Decided we didn't like that very much. So we devised our own variation, more reckless but a better plan. We called it Order 66-S1 – to save General Skywalker."

Boyle folded his arms and met Anakin's heated gaze straight on. "And Order 66-S2 – to save Senator Amidala," he enunciated. The lightsaber stilled, the quiet buzz filling the room while Anakin stood unmoving, breathing heavily. With his temper obviously fleeing Boyle could now continue on with a more jovial "Of course that one we had to add a few weeks ago. You've been quite discreet. Didn't know you had that kind of stealth in you General."

The room went silent.

"So Padmé –?" Anakin invited Boyle to finish the sentence, understanding what the trooper was getting at but wanting it confirmed before he let go the constriction that had formed across his chest and was slowly destroying his heart.

"Is on board the _Saviour_ with Admiral Yularen," Boyle obliged him smugly, quite proud to have saved not only the General but the leader of the Senate Opposition as well. "Captain Rex confirmed he had her and they were fleeing Coruscant when we jumped to lightspeed with you."

Anakin's blade deactivated. His head dropped to his chest and his eyes closed briefly in palpable relief.

The bridge crew heaved a collective sigh of relief too.

Since he was listening to Boyle like he hadn't to the Captain, Boyle kept Anakin's attention focused on one trusted source. "You've been out cold for thirty hours," he gave their latest update. "We haven't initiated any outside contact since leaving the capital, in case our communications are being monitored."

Anakin nodded in understanding. "A wise precaution." Many times they had been the ones intercepting transmissions between enemy ships. It wasn't that hard.

Here Boyle looked to the Captain for an update on the current ship's status.

"We're making multiple jumps to conceal our final destination," the Captain piped up. "We're on schedule to be at the rendezvous point in two days. _Saviour_ is taking her own route, hopefully we won't be followed."

"Sounds like you've got everything under control," Anakin looked out the window at the blurred lines of lightspeed. His chest constriction easing and the pleasantness of his dream this morning returning to flood his soul, reaching right out to his fingertips. Padmé was alright, would be alright.

With that weight lifted off his shoulders, he slowly became aware of the other targets of this final battle. He wouldn't lose Padmé, he would lose everything else.

He was the last of the Jedi. And he was on the run from everything he'd been sworn to protect.

The Captain shared a worried look with his first officer, then glanced at Boyle. They looked nervous and edgy as they silently communicated. Someone had to bring it up, yet no one was brave enough to say a word.

"What is it?" Anakin asked without even setting eyes on any of them.

Their concern was enough to be felt through the Force, unusual for men of battle who could die without betraying much emotion at all.

"We weren't prepared for this, General," the Captain slowly revealed, his words carefully calculated.

Anakin turned, shot him a confused look over his shoulder. "You just said you organised this plot to save me."

"We planned to keep you from being killed when the order was given," The Captain clarified. "We didn't know it would be today. _Defiance_ served in the battle of Coruscant, we were grounded in the shipyards undertaking major repairs."

He toured the shipyards mere weeks ago – crammed with ships so damaged they couldn't even safely sustain a crew in space who would undertake basic fixes.

"Were your repairs finished?" Anakin asked, not liking where this was going.

"Mostly," the Captain tried to be positive. "But we were only just at the stage of doing trial flights. It gets worse."

"I'm sensing that," Anakin faced the bridge crew with worry. "Well?"

"We left quickly. We'll need to restock, refuel. This ship can't run forever, we've got supplies enough for two weeks but not beyond. You've more loyal men than anyone knew, the ship is running over capacity. More star fighters, more bombers and more men to be fed."

A genuinely amused smile flitted at the corners of his mouth as he looked around. "It's a problem I'm happy to have," Anakin folded his arms across his chest and studied them all.

Yes, it had seemed the bridge was running with a few more men than a usual crew complement would call for.

The First Officer chimed in, pressing home the issue. "We can't return to a base for re-supply. You'd be killed on sight."

When it was said in that way, Anakin suddenly understood just what had happened. Not that his brethren were being killed. Not that Padmé was threatened. But that thousands of troopers had chosen to sacrifice themselves, to risk their own lives, for the sole purpose of him. Saving him. Just him.

"You breached the Jedi Temple to save me," he turned to Boyle in disbelief.

Boyle nodded. "We had to keep ahead of the other platoons so we used the ventilation and access shafts to get up that spire. Blew out the windows and had a transport evacuate us with your body from there."

Anakin's eyes widened. "Very daring," he approved the plot, surprised by how clever it was. It was something he would have devised himself. He looked into Boyle's dark eyes and realised that kind of ingenuity did not get taught on Kamino. That kind of creative thinking was learnt on the battlefield. Under his command.

His smile twitched again as he advised Boyle "You could have just told me. I would have cooperated."

Boyle's eyes widened, he coughed in disbelief and looked away. No one wanted to say it. Everyone was thinking it. Anakin and cooperation were not two words that often went together.

Even Anakin was able to chuckle at himself the moment the words had left his mouth.

"Alright maybe not," he conceded. His voice dropped "And S2," he used Padmé's apparent code name. "Thank you. For thinking of that, for bringing her too. Without her all is lost." The last sentence was said very softly.

Boyle nodded. "That was Captain Rex's doing. It was _all_ Captain Rex's doing."

"Why am I not surprised?" he grinned at the thought of his loyal friend.

Though he was keen to set eyes on his wife and decide for himself that she was ok, there was a future to plan.

"Once we get to the rendezvous point, what are our options?"

The Captain took the blame again this time. "There isn't a comprehensive plan sir. We've been monitoring communications and, well," he waved Anakin over to one of the screens. "See for yourself."

Anakin moved to the screen, confused as a news broadcast was replayed at the command of the Communications Lieutenant. He watched on in stupefied horror as the Chancellor declared himself Emperor, head of a new Galactic Empire. "It's not enough to be a Sith Lord?" he muttered darkly.

"So as the last bastion of the Republic we all swore to protect, we are now traitors to the Empire." His eyes rolled as he looked around his ship of renegades. "Just great."


	3. Chapter 3

"Senator Amidala," Captain Rex appeared at her shoulder as she watched, transfixed with horror, the Chancellor declaring himself an Emperor.

"I did not think it could get worse than the massacre of the Jedi," she didn't look up. "And now I watch democracy die –" her hand flicked out in a gesture of disgust at her rapturous colleagues. "To thunderous applause."

Captain Rex had no idea how to respond to that and took a step back, his eyes flicking between the flickering projection and the angered woman who watched on.

"Senator Amidala," he began. "We all have a role to play, even the Chancellor."

"And what is my role, Captain?" she spun around. "How does one champion liberty and peace in a dictatorship? Run away on a fully armed battle cruiser with half a battalion of renegade troopers and a disenfranchised Admiral?"

"We're _dedicated_ , not _renegade_ ," he corrected her with narrowing eyes. "We defend the Republic and the Senate –"

"Then we have both failed," Padmé interrupted him crossly without even turning to look at him. "Since neither still exist."

"Well _we_ exist," Rex insisted. "And while we're still alive, we live to fight another day."

"For what?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fight for what?" Padmé prodded him to think. "War without purpose is just profiteering."

Rex was a military man and had been since he emerged from the maturation chamber. He didn't need to think about why they fought, it was rote. "We fight for our brothers, for loyalty, for life and for the Republic."

"And I worked for peace and democracy, both of which have been swept away. We shouldn't be fleeing, we should be turning around and capturing the Chancellor."

Rex was getting annoyed now. "Senator Amidala," he tried to remain calm at the ridiculous suggestion.

"Don't! Call me that," her temper was getting the best of her. She grit her teeth and forced out "If there is no Senate, then I am no longer a Senator. Certainly not under _Emperor Palaptine_ 's reign." Her face was twisted as she looked on the chamber that had been her life's work. She could only watch the telecast as it metaphorically crumbled to pieces. "I am no longer Senator Amidala," she whispered beneath her breath to herself.

Rex was clearly taken aback by this, paused, and then grinned malevolently. "Fine. Lady _Skywalker_ ," he bestowed a completely different title on her. A creative one, one he had just made up all on his own.

Padmé's eyes widened and she looked about ready to explode. "I am not –!"

"Oh aren't you?" Rex knew he had the upper hand. "I've served under General Skywalker for three long years. He's personally commanded 72% of my missions. I know him and I know he doesn't do anything by halves." His next snipe was pointed. "He's your husband isn't he?"

Padmé said nothing.

"Deny it," he goaded her.

She turned away in an angry flight and stormed to the viewport across the room.

"I thought so," Rex said smugly. "Now, _Lady Skywalker_ ," he needled. "You're needed on the bridge."

Padmé turned, hissed an annoyed "that seems unlikely unless they're hoping to go into Peace talks and bring a chief negotiator." But she stomped her way past him in the bridge's direction anyway.

Captain Rex couldn't help the amused smile that lit his face.

He followed silently behind her, suffering her angry glare as they took the silent turbo lift together to the command spire.

"Admiral Yularen," she greeted as she stepped out into the bustling heart of the ship.

"Senator Amidala," he turned and greeted her.

Rex popped up from behind her with a chirpy "she doesn't wish to be addressed with that title anymore sir. Said she won't serve under Emperor Palpatine."

A hearty cheer arose from the men in the control cockpits beneath the deck and Padmé looked down in surprise.

"We none of us do, I suppose," Yularen nodded thoughtfully. "Well then –?"

"Ahh, Lady Skywalker seems correct, Sir," Rex offered _ever_ so helpfully with a polite smile.

Padmé shot a death stare at him over her shoulder, the gaze promising severe retribution. His grin became even wider and he smiled, ever so saccharine sweet. She was a diplomat and chose not to press her case at this time. Retribution would come his away.

Right now they had much bigger concerns.

"Very well," Yularen just seemed pleased to have something polite he could address her as. "Milady we've been discussing our legal position."

Padmé crossed the deck, knowing there were many curious dark eyes surreptitiously glancing up to follow her progress to where the Admiral stood with his Captain.

"I think we can agree your position is entirely _il-_ legal, Admiral," she offered her opinion. "Theft, disobeying a direct military order, kidnapping, firing at a public official –"

"We did not –!" the Captain began to protest.

"Your X-Wings fired at our attackers as we were fleeing Coruscant," Padmé reminded.

"Oh," the Captain remembered. He bucked up to protest "but we were being pursued – it was the only course of action to assure your safety!"

As her anger with Rex dissipated and Padmé started to clam, she nodded in agreement with him. "I know, Captain. And I would not be alive if not for those acts of bravery. But the Emperor will not see it that way."

"We should overthrow the Emperor and restore the Republic!" came a cry to battle from a young lieutenant manning a forward scanning station.

Supportive murmurs began to follow until Padmé raised her voice over the din and reminded " _That_ would be a military coup."

They all shut up.

"And unwise," she emphasised, looking many of them in the eye to make her point before turning back to the bridge officers. "There is no legal precedent for this. Or if there is then it is long before my time. I'm not sure I can help."

"On the contrary," Yularen had perked right up as he studied her thoughtfully. "You're here."

She tilted her head questioningly. "What do you mean, Admiral?"

"Should we try to overthrow the new Emperor, that would be a military coup as you've so helpfully reminded us. But _you_ are an elected representative. If the Senate had the will, could they remove the Emperor and go back to being a Republic?"

Padmé paused, studying the Admiral in an entirely new light. Not just a man of battle then.

She turned her head aside, thinking out loud. "Well, the formation of the Republic itself cannot cease to exist without the agreement of all signatories. That means planets, systems as well as corporations like the Banking Clan. The Chancellor may have succeeded in having himself voted more powers but he cannot actually change the functionary body in law until a Referendum is completed. A representative Senate vote is not enough."

The others looked at her blankly. As she came back to herself and glanced around, she realised she had the attention of every bridge officer but the comprehension of none.

Padmé sighed and summarised "it will take time. And a battle against the Emperor's propaganda machine is not one I'm sure we can win," her face turned into a sad smile as she thought of the whole reason for this state of affairs. "Even with Anakin alongside."

"You're giving up?" Rex prodded her. "Letting democracy _die_?" he threw her earlier words back at her, quite impressed with himself when he saw he'd raised her ire again. "Is it not something you'd fight for?"

"I will fight until my last breath for it," she promised him. Looked out the window. "What do you have in mind gentlemen?"

"Military strategy is one thing," Admiral Yularen spoke for them all. "Leading, is quite another."

She turned to find his head tilted questioningly in her direction. "I don't understand." Though, she was getting a sick feeling she just might.

"We prevented the death of General Skywalker out of loyalty," the Captain reminded.

"So I've heard many times now," Padmé wanted to move the story on.

Yularen cleared his throat. "The General is," he cleared his throat again, uncomfortable. "A leader of men," he decided on. "An expert on the battle field, with tactics, deception. He's a powerful user of the Force, the most cunning of the Jedi I've served with..." he trailed off.

Padmé saved him any further embarrassment and saved them all lord knew how much more time with his awkward avoidance. "But he has no taste for politics," she was explicit.

"Exactly, milady," the Admiral looked relieved to have her be the one say it.

She met his gaze head on, knowing what he was implying, what she brought to this disaster of a situation that her mightily talented husband didn't. Diplomacy. "And you need someone to guide you through that."

"Not exactly," the ship's Captain looked warily at Rex.

He rolled his eyes and said what the others would not. "We want _you_ to lead us. The men have elected you to be our representative."

"Represent you in what? Lead you into what?" Padmé pressed, trying to make them see they were all stuck in a political no-man's land.

"A better future."

It was the one thing they could say to get her to stop talking. The kind of idealism that pushed her to take the throne, that kept her in the Senate, that inspired her passion for democracy.

It had come out of Captain Rex's mouth – he was more cunning than he let on.

She looked down into the pits and saw those dark eyes studying her again, this time, with shielded hope. Though looked to her for guidance, leadership, that better future.

"I wouldn't know where to begin," she tried to brush it aside, looking away from the expectation so personally placed on her shoulders.

"You know more than everyone else on this ship put together," Rex pressed.

"Consider it," Yularen was a little more diplomatic. "We all need a leader."

Silence fell. The men waited for her answer, Padmé couldn't give one. It stretched into minutes before the young communications Lieutenant broke it.

"Ahh, Lady Skywalker, you had better see this."

She shot Rex a murderous look – how had he got someone else to use that name? – and warily crossed the floor.

"I've been monitoring holo broadcasts," he informed her, removing a cord from a jack so the sound flooded the room and the corresponding screen filled with the image of Emperor Palpatine.

"My friends," he began. "It has come to my attention that some of the Empire's biggest champions," his voice fell in a way that Padmé knew well. Uh-oh, here came the fake sympathy. "Have been led astray. A small number of our Senators were coerced, at the hands of the Separatists, into signing this petition."

"Oh no," she whispered, her heart dropping. She knew what he was referring to. She'd drafted it, she was the first signatory. And in this new regime she'd probably just bought herself a death sentence.

"A petition of 2,000 so-called Senators. Calling for my immediate removal from power. These Separatist spies,"

"I am not!" Padmé interrupted with a disbelieving squawk.

The broadcast Emperor continued on regardless. "Shall not be allowed to prosper, to continue to spread fear and disunity among our new, glorious Empire. I guarantee you, my people, every single one of them shall be brought to justice for this treason. Starting with their reckless leader, who time and again has prevented this Senate from passing necessary bills that would support our army and help us end the war."

"Uh-oh," she winced away, almost unable to look.

"Who travelled to Separatist worlds multiple times during the embargo."

"No no," she pleaded.

"Senator Padmé Amidala."

Her name was said slowly, filled with the promise of death.

"Will be brought to justice."

"Justice?" Padmé repeated. Then it came out even more disbelieving. "Justice!? _I_ need to be brought to justice?"

"Captain we're coming out of hyperspace," a lackey said quietly to the commanding officer. The Captain turned away, grateful for the opportunity to remove himself from her rising temper. They needed to revert to normal speed, turn the ship, let the Nav computer calculate the next hyperspace jump and get underway again as quickly as possible. The longer they stayed in real space, the longer they were vulnerable to attack. He hurried away to his post to aid his men.

"All I have fought for is democracy! I have begged for peace! I travelled to Separatist systems to negotiate a treaty only to have my friends killed! And _I_ need to be brought to justice?!" she was enraged as she watched false compassion twist on his deceiving face.

The soldiers shared worried looks with one another that she didn't notice.

" _You_ brought war to this galaxy," she accused the holo. "Murdered all the peace keepers. Kept me from my husband. Have put me in this gundark's nest of trouble when I'm _eight months pregnant_ and **_I_** need to be brought to justice?!" She was now screaming at the man who had once, long ago, been her mentor.

She spun around and marched towards the front viewport, outraged by the bald-faced hide of him. She was getting to the end of the walkway, her palms spread in anger when they dropped out of hyperspace. Right on top of one behemoth of a Separatist dreadnought.

Every man on the bridge froze in shock at the sight of the ship. The _Saviour_ roared onwards, straight ahead, perilously close to ramming the carrier from behind.

Undaunted she stood firm as it loomed in the viewport, growing every second. "If I'm going to be tried as the leader of a Rebellion, then I'm going to damn well lead one," she hissed to herself then raised her voice.

"Fire all forward laser cannons!"

Lady Skywalker's order resonated in the silent bridge. She turned her chin, looking back over her shoulder in silent question as to why her order hadn't been fulfilled.

The Captain was the first to emerge from stunned silence. "You heard her! Fire all forward laser cannons! Open up the batteries," he started barking orders.

A claxon began ringing, sounding to the entire crew complement across hundreds of decks that they were under attack.

Padmé watched the battle begin with her unimpeded view through the forward windows, not flinching as bursts of red began flying out, seemingly from beneath her feet. No sensors aided her like they did for the men of the bridge crew, but the _Saviour_ was so close they were almost scraping their hull over the droid carrier ship so she could see everything. The Separatist ship started turning, coming about now that it had spotted them. She had the best view and was the first to spot vulture droids beginning to launch from the hangers.

"Scramble pilots, we need star fighters," she murmured without thinking as the blinking red lights and stabbing black exoskeletons started angling straight towards the _Saviour_ 's hull.

Yularen repeated her words then barked orders of his own. "Start calculating our next jump to lightspeed. We need this engagement to be as short as possible, we have no shipyards for repairs and nowhere to resupply. We _need_ to get to the General."

Padmé watched as the red paint marking the top of their own massive hull split open before her, and tiny fighters began spilling out through the crack. The baby kicked and she unthinkingly reached down, placing her hand over what felt like a little foot.

"It's alright," she soothed softly, watching a vulture droid heading straight for the bridge.

"Are our shields raised, Captain?" she asked calmly.

"Raise shields!" the order was frantically called out. The shields glittered momentarily and then strengthened and disappeared from visible light.

She watched their fighters start picking off the vulture droids, though more were being launched by the second.

"Where are we?" she wondered quietly to herself as she looked out at the stars, not seeing any familiar planets. They weren't even within a system. "Dooku and Grevious have been defeated. Whose authority is this ship operating under?"

"Lieutenant," she made her way to the communications pit and knelt down. "See if you can intercept their transmissions. Even if they're encoded take a copy and we'll break it later. We must know who they are and who their leader is."

"Yes Milady," he bobbed his head and started pressing buttons. He hesitated and then looked up at her, worry straining his features. "We're getting some chatter from the Republic-sorry – Empire. They're recalling us, demanding to know why we launched without authorisation."

"Don't answer," she advised, then looked out towards the explosions of droid troopers landing against their hull. "And get ready to encode a transmission to General Skywalker."

The Lieutenant lit at the mention of Anakin and issued a curt "Yes Milady," then hurried back to his work.

She stood up again, took a moment to steady herself then walked forward again to watch.

"Is the jump calculated?" Yularen called out.

"Two more minutes sir."

Padmé's eyes flared, her gaze settling on a laser torch being put to their hull by three crafty destroyers.

"Seal off the mid decks and evacuate all personnel, there are droids about to breach," she warned. The First Officer appeared at her shoulder and followed her pointing finger.

He was speaking into his headset three seconds later and the blaring claxon changed to a general warning to evacuate mid-decks and prepare for an onboard incursion. A blaster was pressed into her hand and she turned.

"Thank you Commander," she nodded at the thoughtfulness of it. The unknown Commander disappeared but Captain Rex materialised by her side, pistols on both hips and his arms folded sternly across his broad chest.

"Are you my bodyguard now?" she turned back to the battle.

"Until General Skywalker can relieve me of the duty personally," Captain Rex confirmed.

Padmé smiled, proud of the unwavering dedication on Anakin's behalf. "I look forward to that moment."

Another small kick and this time she rubbed it with her thumb. A spark in her peripheral vision made her whip her head around.

"Admiral," she called warningly. "A second ship just dropped out of hyperspace."

Another droid carrier. Then a third. And a fourth.

"Where are we?" she asked Rex. "While are they all massing here? They can't have known we were coming."

"No milady," Rex confirmed, looking out over the battle they were now vastly out-gunned. There was no way they could survive against so many. "Only the rendezvous was known. We made the first jump from Coruscant randomly and planned our route in the following few hours. They're not here for us."

"Hows that Nav computer?" Yularen called out again.

"Ready sir!" the Navigator called back.

"All fighters return to ship, all fighters return to ship," the Captain ordered.

Padmé walked back to the communications pit, Captain Rex at her back. When she reached the lieutenant in charge of external communication she knelt. "Record me now, encode it and send the transmission along with our current coordinates to the _Defiance_ the second before we jump."

"Ready," the Lieutenant nodded.

"Master Skywalker," she braced as the ship rocked, a shell perforating the hull and exploding near one of their fuel stores. A moment passed while they steadied and then she hurried to continue. "The Separatist army is massing and we've come under fire. It may be slower than anticipated if we need repairs but we _will_ meet you at the rendezvous point."

She glanced over her shoulder as a burning piece of exploding vulture droid lodged itself in the bridge's bulkhead but didn't cause a hull rupture.

She turned back. "Wait for me," she softly made a private plea to her husband.

That was it. The lieutenant encoded the transmission and Padmé nodded to him. He nodded back.

She returned to the forward window and watched the last of the fighters slip into their belly just as the hanger bay doors met.

"Make the jump!" Yularen called.

The ship's pilot did so and a second later they were streaking into hyperspace. Leaving the massing Separatist army behind. The ship shuddered and they all looked back.

Rex said it in a dry warning that no one else could voice.

"We lost something."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: This chapter contains Adult content. If you're underage or not comfortable, please wait for/move on to the next chapter

* * *

"General Skywalker we're receiving an encoded transmission!" a young lieutenant called out.

Anakin had been restlessly pacing the bridge for the past hour, putting everyone else on edge.

"It's Senator Amidala sir."

He leapt down into the communications pit, not bothering to wait for her message to be beamed up onto the bigger screens. His breath stopped as she appeared, whole and healthy. Her eyes were alert, alive. As always he studied her and her surroundings. Rex was at her back, armed and watching not Padmé but the men around her. Protecting her. Anakin actually smiled the relief was so intense.

"Master Skywalker," her voice addressed him formally and for a moment his heart jumped as he watched her image shake.

"What's happening?" he demanded from the trooper next to him.

"It looks like their ship is under attack," the entire communications team began scrambling to clear up the transmission.

"Where are they?" Anakin wanted to know, studying the message for any other useful signs. There was nothing, only that she was onboard a ship and Rex was watching her back,

"The Separatist army is massing and we've come under fire," she was steady and sure, looked straight at him.

Not afraid. He smiled at her image, calming because she was calm.

"It may be slower than anticipated if we need repairs but we _will_ meet you at the rendezvous point," Padmé conveyed with determination.

"Yes we will," he echoed softly though she couldn't hear him.

The clawing need to see her again settled, reassurance that she was alright was enough to placate his frayed nerves and he leant back against the bulkhead as her gorgeous dark eyes glittered, seeming to look right at him.

"Wait for me," she ordered. _That_ was private. Just for him. His wife issuing an order to her husband. Then the transmission ended.

The smile didn't go away. He stood against the bulkhead for some time pondering what he'd just seen, his gaze unfocused and his heart rate slowing.

"General?" the Lieutenant asked carefully.

"I'm alright," Anakin reassured, shaking his head. "How long ago was this sent?" his tone had changed, the darkness slipping away as he became the General they'd all given their lives for.

A few button taps and a curt "one hour ago. That's the end of the recording."

"Any other information included?" Anakin thought to ask, looking over his shoulder and down to the screen.

"Their coordinates at the time of the transmission." The lieutenant frowned then looked up and over the boardwalk to a clone in another area "Charts!" he called loudly then gestured.

The clone named Charts came towards them, then studied the coordinates on the screen. "Half a parsec out from Mandalore," he identified immediately.

"Mandalore?" Anakin asked with confusion, looking back again as Charts brought up a map of the galaxy and plotted Padmé's last position against the Mandalorian systems. "But they've been neutral," he pondered. "Why would the Separatist army be massing there?"

The Captain wandered over, glanced warily at Anakin then joined them. He studied the positioning as well. "Who is even in charge of the Separatist army now?" he looked to his bridge officers and finally the Jedi. "Dooku and Grevious are dead."

Anakin folded his arms. "The Sith Lord," he realised, looking the Captain straight in the eye. "Palpatine."

"The Emperor?" Boyle asked, astounded. "But he was head of the Clone Army. He was the one who Ordered 66. Why would he control both armies?"

The background murmur of the _Defiance's_ bridge crew came to a deafeningly loud halt.

"He controlled both armies," Anakin repeated it quietly in sickened realisation. "This entire time. He could have stopped the war at any moment he chose, and he prolonged it."

He raised his head and looked around at his bridge crew. All the same face, yet all independent thinkers, men who'd chosen to be different. In that moment it suddenly struck him. What they'd done. What they'd done _for him_.

"Thank you," his voice caught and he cleared his throat. "All of you. Thank you. You chose to save me when I didn't know I needed it." He looked back at Padmé's image. "I don't think I've appreciated just how massive this operation must have been. To smuggle Padmé and I off Coruscant, to hijack two Republic Cruisers." His eyes wandered over every manned station, just a tiny portion of the men on board this ship, dedicated to a cause they couldn't even define. "Thank you. Every single one of you. I won't let you down, I promise."

He jabbed his finger at the stars streaking past the viewport. "Palpatine has kept us at war to further his own agenda and nothing more. Thousands of friends have died unnecessarily. It stops today. I don't know why that Separatist army is massing near the biggest conglomeration of neutral planets but there must be a reason. And we're going to stop it."

A cheer of support rose from the men down around him in the pits, and their officers further up on the boardwalk joined in heartily.

"We may only be two ships, but we will defeat the Emperor and return peace to the Republic!" his fierce battle cry was met with the rallying call of his loyal army.

Anakin sprung up from the pit back onto the boardwalk, nodding to the Captain. "When do we next fall out of hyperspace? I want everyone prepared in case we meet with our own welcome party."

"A wise precaution. Two hours until the next turning point."

"Ready all fighters and charge all gun banks." Anakin looked to the over-manned bridge. "In the meantime we need to start working on a plan, for how we're going to undo this travesty and remove the Emperor. We need to think beyond the rendezvous with _Saviour."_

Heads bobbed in general agreement. He wished his own was so hearty. To be truthful with himself it was hard to think beyond seeing Padmé safe. He'd been into dangerous situations with her before, knowing she was crafty and good with a blaster. But she'd also been fit and manoeuvrable in those earlier times. Now she was very pregnant with their child and he worried about her. Worried that she was vulnerable, that she would find herself in one of those tricky situations and be unable to extract herself.

"Can you spare some men from each team, Captain? We should start coordinating in the briefing room."

The Captain agreed and soon Anakin was walking determinedly for his war room. Planning the end of the Sith and the end of the war.

* * *

"Incoming cruiser, identify yourself," the communications were being routed to the announcement system and every person on board paused, held their breath as they waited for the response. If it was _Saviour_ their mission had succeeded. If it was any other Empire vessel, they would be captured and court-martialled or forced to kill their brothers to survive.

Padmé's heart was already melting at the sound of Anakin alive and well coming over that transmission. Her gaze looked out the forward viewport to the sister ship they were coming up on. To where Anakin was even now waiting for her.

"This is _Saviour_ executing Order 66-S2," Yularen answered.

"And this is the _Defiance_ , who successfully executed Order 66-S1. I'm alive," they heard Anakin's grin through the com system.

A cheer rang out, loud and sure, on the _Saviour's_ bridge as he announced that their mission had succeeded.

"Padmé?" he asked hesitantly into the open channel, thousands of crew members listening in.

"I'm fine Anakin," she assured him.

He said nothing further to her but his next words clipped with anxiety.

"I'm coming over right now. Skywalker out."

The com channel abruptly shut off and Padmé started her trek off the bridge. "If you need me I'll be in the hanger bay," she called behind her.

"Thank god for that," Yularen muttered at her retreating back.

Padmé hurried, moving as fast as her unbalanced body could carry her. She made it down to the hanger bay with a few minutes to spare, watching on eagerly as the massive doors drew back and stars appeared between them.

A single transport came screaming in a moment later, barely having touched down when Anakin was vaulting out of it.

"Padmé," he cried, excitement mixed with relief as she flew to him.

They clashed and he swept her into his arms. Crushed her to his chest in agony, days of high tension and fear cracking as he held her to him tight.

"Oh Anakin," she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him desperately. Digging her fingers into his skin. The reality of how close Anakin had come to death only now settling on her.

They weren't alone in the hanger and for the very first time neither of them cared. There was not a chance of being discovered, no, they were obviously being watched. Anakin forsook their reputations and dropped his head, kissing her hard, passionately. Padmé reached up and pulled him closer, her mouth possessing his while her fingers grasped his hair and they twined together.

Reuniting after they'd both come so close to assassination.

"I love you," he pulled back for just a second to gasp the words he had been afraid he'd never say again. Blurting them out so that even if they died in the next moment, Padmé would have heard them.

"I love you," she whimpered back, desperately reaching for his mouth again with hers.

They hungrily took one another, mouths kissing in frantic reunion.

"I was so worried," she whispered, running her hands down the front of his chest then reaching up to kiss him again.

"I know how you feel," he said in a private whisper then took the kiss she offered.

Their attentions to one another became more physical until a throat cleared behind them. They stopped kissing but didn't pull apart. Anakin lifted his chin away from Padmé to glance over the top of her head, but kept her held tight to his chest. For a moment he pressed his lips into the crown of her head. He didn't let her go. Every person on _Defiance_ and _Saviour_ had taken on this mission voluntarily, and every single one of them now knew that he and Padmé were married.

He would kiss his wife now, no matter where they were, because for the last time he had come too perilously close to losing her and himself.

"Captain Rex," he allowed Padmé to turn in his arms so they could both face the trooper who had appointed himself her bodyguard.

The man who had served and led with him over how many years and Anakin was still stunned by what he'd achieved these last few days. What must have taken months of planning given the number of troopers involved and the coordination of thousands.

"You saved a Jedi, a Senator and our baby. From a Sith Lord and a death sentence." Anakin was in awe, looking his longtime comrade dead on while for the first time he held Padmé in his arms and someone else watched on. Rex stood still and stoic as always.

"I owe you a debt of gratitude. I owe you everything," Anakin didn't skirt the issue.

The man who had saved that everything looked a little embarrassed, and clearly didn't know what to do with the gratitude.

"No more than you've done for me countless times, General," Rex tried to wriggle out of it, even as Anakin was shaking his head.

"You are far more of a hero than I could ever hope to be. Thank you."

Captain Rex nodded once, changed the subject by cocking his head towards Padmé. "Now that you're here I officially resign my post as bodyguard."

Anakin smirked, pulling Padmé's back close to his chest and possessively running his hands down her body. One along her side, the other over the fullness of their swelling child. Rex followed the movement with some fascination, watching the back of Anakin's knuckles drift in a slow, barely there exploration of the curve. A smaller female hand came to cover his black leather glove and both their palms flattened.

"An assignment I'm pleased to take on," Anakin grinned roguishly.

Their fingers linked together in determined resolve.

"We need to plan, sir," Rex immediately switched to military tactics, his speciality, and turned to lead the way to the war room.

Padmé turned too, but in Anakin's arms. She grinned up at him, cupping his rough cheek, and knew there was no planning in the immediate future.

"Captain," she stopped his retreat.

Rex turned, surprised to find neither was following.

"Since I last saw Anakin we've both narrowly escaped death. I'd like to see with my own eyes that he's unharmed," she was explicit. "We'll join you in the war room tomorrow morning."

"Lady Skywalker," he spluttered in protest at the huge delay.

Anakin picked up on the moniker and perked considerably, his hand rubbing her shoulder with eager anticipation.

"Lady Skywalker is it?" he was grinning at Rex. Then he turned down to Padmé and approved "Oh I like that."

"In the morning," Padmé reiterated to the Captain, squeezing Anakin's hand. "We're retiring to my quarters. Now."

Anakin strode past Rex with his hand tucked into Padmé's and an anticipatory smug grin spreading across his features.

"Are you feeling alright?" Rex heard Anakin ask Padmé as his arm slid around her waist and she was tugged into his side. He realised it was the first time anyone had thought to ask her that in the three days since this saga began.

* * *

Anakin was drenched in sweat, naked, and caressing Padmé's bare thigh while she rode him when the beeping of his personal com tried to interrupt them. She looked toward it, slowing as if to answer.

"Ignore it," Anakin instructed, looking up at her with determination. "Keep going."

"It could be important," she reached for it.

He caught her hand, placed it back on his own shoulder and put both his own hands to the damp skin of her smooth bare back.

"Nothing is more important than this."

Padmé scowled at him. "The Separatist fleet could have just dropped out of Hyperspace and we could be about to die." She reached for the com again.

Anakin captured her fingers, entwined them with his own and drew them to his mouth. No com call was interrupting them.

"Then I will die a happy man, with you wrapped around me. Now we aren't finished."

He placed his lips to the curve of her shoulder and kissed once, twice. Then began mouthing a slow wet trail. Padmé forgot the com. She whimpered and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Started moving in slow circles again. Dropped her head to the side when Anakin's mouth sucked lazily at her collarbone while his fingers dug into her back.

His com stopped beeping. She whimpered a soft plea and pressed herself down into him. Anakin groaned and thrust back, right up into her with his utterly bared body. Padmé's hands clutched at his filled-out biceps then let her watering mouth follow and began sucking at his skin.

Her com started beeping. Her lips froze, then she went to pull away.

"Ah!" he stopped her, catching her hand again.

"Ani," she protested, trying to withdraw her fingers from where he'd now twined them with his own.

He pressed his forehead to hers and hissed "they know what we're doing. You can answer when my cock isn't inside you."

She cried out, starting to lift away, needing to escape the gravity well of that particular body part's insatiable power over her because her own belly was _desperate_ to keep him inside. He took a firm hold of each of her hips so she didn't move another muscle. "Uh-ah," it took everything he had not to finish right then and there. "Not like that," he promised her.

Then he thrust up into her, hard. A groan escaped him and then he caught her desperate whimper up in a hungry kiss. Cupping her bottom and pulling her hips even closer so he could love her.

"It's clearly important," she tore her soft lips away, though her words were slightly breathy in that distracted way he liked. "We should," she swallowed at the feel of him burrowing into her. "Respond."

"We will," he agreed mischievously, intent on the flashing changes of gold to toffee in her eyes, reactions to him _in_ her. "In a little while."

"Ani," she tried one more chance at being serious.

He pressed his forehead to hers. "Padmé," he countered with the beautiful sound of her name. Then kissed her. Until they were both senseless and there was no movement towards personal coms, only the intimate movement of her ripening body and its potent impregnator moving together.

He dipped his head and caught one of her soft nipples in his mouth, tugging until she gasped and her hands shot into his hair to hold him still.

" _General and Lady Skywalker to the bridge_ ," a ship wide announcement broadcast into every room, every corridor, every blasted turbolift that made up the _Saviour._

Padmé broke her mouth away hurriedly and Anakin struggled to keep her to him calling out a frustrated "no no No!"

"Just what is going on?" Padmé didn't have to wait for her answer.

" _An Imperial vessel just dropped out of hyperspace_."

That gave Anakin pause. "Here?" he asked confusedly. She started to pull away again and he caught her upper arms. Let his gaze linger as he looked over her luscious form, glistening and flushed a delicious pink, and committed it to memory. Then let her go.

"Alright," he gave her one more hard kiss and they both came away breathless. "To be resumed later."

Padmé pulled away and the withdrawal of his body from hers was painful. He had to groan, wincing when she was finally free of him. He lay there for one split second recovering then snatched up his com and contacted Yularen.

"Give us two minutes."

"Short minutes," Yularen allowed.

Padmé was already in her gown and twisting her hair up when he struggled from the bed and started tugging his clothes back on. As they were rushing out the door he caught Padmé around the waist and hauled her into him, planting a single passionate kiss on her swollen mouth. "I love you and we will live through this," he promised her fiercely.

"See that you do. We weren't finished," she returned just as fiercely, pecked his lips.

Then they hurried from their quarters and bolted for the bridge.

"That was three minutes, not two," Yularen criticised without turning around.

"Next time," Anakin was striding towards him. "I don't answer a com, and I'm alone with Padmé, assume we're busy," he stopped next to Yularen looking out the front viewport and surveyed the scene.

"It's been fourteen hours since you landed in the hanger bay!" Yularen protested. Then his tone became amused as he greeted "It's good to see you alive General Skywalker."

"It's good to be alive, and be reunited with Padmé. A few more hours wouldn't have hurt," he answered distractedly as he studied the ships before them.

 _Defiance_ was still drifting close by off to their starboard, though she'd formed up alongside in the last few minutes. They now both had their forward guns readied towards a third similar looking vessel, clearly another ship built for the Grand Army of the Republic. Not anymore though, now every ship but theirs served the days-old Empire.

"This wouldn't wait," Yularen observed the third ship simply drifting.

"No," Padmé agreed softly, appearing at their sides. "Have you tried to contact it?" she asked the admiral.

"And let you miss the fun?" Yularen's wit made her smile.

"An incoming communication sir," the communications officer spoke up.

Anakin turned towards the young man and nodded.

"This is the Grand Army of the Republic's _Negotiator_ executing Order 66-K," came the clear announcement.

"Admiral Kilian!" Yularen called out in surprise, immediately recognising the deep accented burr.

"66-K?" Padmé looked thoughtful, then turned to Anakin. "Do you think other soldiers may have come up with a rescue mission of their own? Could it be –?"

"Obi-Wan," Anakin breathed, suddenly feeling the presence nearby. He sagged in relief for a pain he hadn't known he was carrying. "Confirm it," he snapped to Yularen.

"This is Admiral Yularen on the _Saviour_ executing Orders-66-S1 and 66-S2. We have Skywalker."

Obi-Wan's voice filled their bridge and tears flooded Padmé's hormonal eyes in happiness at the sound of it. A single, hopeful, demanding snap of "Anakin?"

"Yes Master," Anakin responded quickly, his own joy irrepressible. "They kidnapped me," he paused to grasp the hand at his side "and Senator Amidala from Coruscant."

The bridge beneath him cheered themselves and the daring deadly mission they'd triumphed.

The smile in Obi-Wan's voice was a beam that could be felt across the kilometres of space that separated them. "I was captured off Utapau," he boasted. "It's good to hear your voice my friend."

"And yours," Anakin was sincere.

"Obi-Wan," Padmé joined in, squeezing Anakin's fingers. "Now that we're three ships instead of two we're even more obvious and word will start travelling back to the Core. We need a plan."

"Agreed, though make that four. Apparently we've another en route, another executing order 66-K. I'll be over shortly. And Senator? It's good to hear your voice."

"Yours as well Master Jedi," she soothed.

"Yularen, what's the state of your supplies?" Admiral Kilian's voice replaced Obi-Wan's.

"Poor and growing more dire by the hour. Our ship took damage in a recent firefight." The officers took over with the pressing issue of how they would continue to feed their mammoth crews and repair their ships while the Jedi and his Senator turned away.

"There will be no avoiding Obi-Wan finding out now," Padmé was the one to say it as they made their way to the turbolift. "Everyone on this ship risked their lives to rescue me because they knew of us."

Anakin nodded uncomfortably. Then his back straightened. His fingers caressed her hand as he conceded "the baby is obvious now, too big to be hidden. And I don't want it to be."

They came to the turbolift well just as the doors slid open to reveal a commander and two troopers inside.

"Lady Skywalker," the Commander bowed his head in respect as he stepped out of the turbolift and his men followed.

"And there's that," Anakin grinned at the trooper's retreating back, watching the man enter the bridge. "Why are they calling you that?"

They both stepped in and the door slid shut.

"Captain Rex was addressing me as Senator Amidala even as the Chancellor announced the death of the Republic. I refuse to serve in a Senate of oppression under an Emperor and in my frustration ordered him to stop referring to me as such. He asked what form of address I preferred. Then he picked one."

The car began falling away towards the hanger bays.

"Clearly word travels fast, even on a ship of this size."

Anakin turned to her, his eyes soft with appreciation as he wondered "so now everyone openly refers to you as my wife."

"I suppose," she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Then I am the luckier man for it," he placed his fingers under her chin, tilted her head up and kissed her softly.

"The galaxy is a different place than it was a week ago," she told him quietly when he pulled away. "If you and Obi-Wan are truly the only two Jedi left –"

"I know, I know," he held up his hand to soothe her agitation.

"He needs to know everything," she pointed out. "Too many lives depend on it."

Anakin's head bobbed silently. Then he met her eyes and firmly reminded "our baby" he swallowed, laying his hand to her middle "is a blessing. The ten thousand troopers on our two ships know that. Obi-Wan will see it too."

Their lips brushed in brief final resolve, then they exited the turbolift and made their way along the corridors to the hanger bays. They waited side-by-side, not touching but clearly a united force, for Obi-Wan's arrival. Word had spread and even down here they already knew another ship had joined them. A buzz echoed while Padmé and Anakin waited.

When the transport appeared it wasn't barrelling in at quite the same rate Anakin had, but it was moving fast. The shuttle touched down, and Obi-Wan was already waiting at the top of the ramp when it began lowering. He rushed off, embracing Anakin firmly.

"It's good to see you my friend," he was painfully relieved as he took in the sight of the boy he'd raised, still alive despite the massacre of their people. And felt utter relief.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin clasped him tight. The feeling was mutual.

"We have been very lucky," Obi-Wan reflected, turning to Anakin's side.

"Senator Amidala I'm so glad..." he trailed off as he actually looked at her. His brow furrowed and, trying to connect what his eyes were seeing with what he knew to be true, the usually smooth-talking Jedi stumbled with an awkward "I'd not realised it has been so long since we've seen each other."

Her pregnant tummy made it obvious quite a lot had changed since he'd last set eyes on the Senator.

"That," Anakin decided to just get the revelation out of the way. "Is mine."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan admonished, the reaction coming without any thought. "Are you out of your mind? The Senator has a death warrant on her head! How could you be so reckless?"

"The death warrant is a much newer problem," Padmé pointed out. "This started long before the Chancellor began making his final moves."

"My question still stands," Obi-Wan folded his arms angrily.

For once, Anakin was calm.

"We've been married for quite some time," he enlightened his friend. "Wonderful things happen to married people."

"You know there are ways to _prevent_ that? For gods sake we are at war!" the shouting continued.

They were attracting a lot of curious eyes from other members of the crew.

"What if you don't want to prevent it?" Anakin lifted an eyebrow.

Padmé startled at that too. "Anakin," she chastised him openly.

He looked between his two opponents, his closest confidants, and sighed, giving in. "Look, it's done."

His eyes drifted to their captive audience of maintenance crews and pilots, then gestured with his head. "Can we continue this conversation in private?"

The three of them stayed silent as they crossed the vast hanger and made for one of the turbolifts. Only when the doors had shut behind them in privacy did Anakin round on his friend. "Whether you approve or not Padmé and I _will_ have a child soon. And our very complicated existence as fugitives from the Empire will become even more untenable. So we have to sort this out. Now."

"Agreed," Obi-Wan nodded his head firmly. Then he turned a less confrontational gaze on Padmé and said what he should have said to start with. "It _is_ good to see you Senator."

"Don't call her that, she doesn't serve a corrupt Emperor in an Imperial Senate," Anakin grinned at her teasingly, repeating her explanation.

"Oh? What title are you going by?"

"Just Padmé is fine," she assured. At the exact same moment Anakin pronounced "Lady Skywalker."

The turbolift doors opened and both Obi-Wan and Padmé shot him dark looks.

"What?" he defended, leading them towards the briefing room. "Captain Rex came up with it. And I like it."

"Padmé it is," Obi-Wan's narrowed gaze was turning even more lethal on Anakin.

Anakin folded his arms defiantly and cut off that storm before it could be unleashed with one of his own. "Have you informed the Duchess of Madalore you're alive?"

Obi-Wan startled at the abrupt change in conversation. "No. Why?"

"I just think she'd like to know," Anakin's stride became a self-satisfied saunter.

"Well she can't," Obi-Wan retorted. "I'm a fugitive from the Empire with a battle cruiser under my command and a death sentence on my head. It's very dangerous for anyone to know I'm alive."

There was silence and then Padmé tentatively offered "to not know if someone you care about still lives, that is the worst form of torture," she shot a quick glance at the husband who had spent months on the Outer Rim without coming home. That one look quite meaningful.

"The Duchess puts her people first. She won't have time to think of anything else as the galaxy falls into turmoil," Obi-Wan gave his final justification, indicating the issue was closed.

"I stood beside her at your funeral two years ago," Padmé reminded. "And though you turned out to be alive," she turned to him sadly to relive the funeral he had not attended. "Satine truly mourned for you, as only a widow does. To lose you twice may not fracture her publically but you more than anyone know that it will destroy her inside. Send her a covert message."

"Or better yet, bring a fleet," Anakin waved his arm to indicate their small trio of ships. "Pretend we're there to fight the Separatists."

Padmé and Obi-Wan both looked at him strangely as they entered the briefing room. Not understanding their looks, he prompted "the Separatist Fleet is massing half a parsec from Mandalore's border."

The two of them look flabbergasted.

"It was your ship that encountered them," he reminded Padmé.

"That was near Mandalore?" she asked in disbelief.

"According to your coordinates, yes. You didn't know this?"

"I only knew we were trying to calculate a second jump vector. At least four droid carriers had arrived before we managed to escape. We have to do something! If the Separatist army conduct an incursion into a neutral system then the neutrality is void and the Empire can move in!"

Anakin looked a little confused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I voted on the neutrality bill. I helped Satine draft the original wording." Her eyes narrowed. "Certain unfriendly federations removed key paragraphs and managed to get that version through the Senate. If one Separatist fires a single shot on Mandalore then their neutrality no longer exists."

"Meaning Duchess Satine is in great danger," Obi-Wan worried.

"And the people of the two thousand neutral star systems she speaks for," Padmé emphasised.

Obi-Wan rubbed his hand over his face in tired disbelief. "And here I thought this would be a good day."

Two soft black Jedi boots appeared on the table and casually crossed over one another. Padmé and Obi-Wan's eyes turned to Anakin as he relaxed back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.

"You should have married her when you got the chance," Anakin lamented casually. " _My_ wife is safe with me here."

" _Your_ wife," Obi-Wan mocked. "Is pregnant and on the run."

"At least I know she's safe," Anakin didn't give up, emphasising that point. "And I can protect her."

"You're not helping," Padmé told him.

"I'm not trying to," Anakin grinned back at her. "I'm pointing out," he turned his smug grin on Obi-Wan "that I'm right. And that I'm a very lucky man."

His feet disappeared from the table top and he stood.

"You two sort out the Mandalore problem while I go find Admiral Yularen."

He pressed his lips to Padmé's cheek and in a quiet whisper asked "try and get him to contact the Duchess. He often misses her, now is the chance to do something about it."

His hand squeezed her shoulder and then was gone.

Obi-Wan had studied the interaction closely. "Padmé," he began seriously. "As a friend, are you sure you've made a wise decision here? Anakin's life is about to get even more complicated than it already was."

"I know," she agreed with him. Then firmly announced, without hesitation "He's worth it. Being with Anakin has been the most wonderful part of my life since the Separatist War began. The arrival of our child won't change that."

Anakin had been lurking in the corridor, and heard those final words. He grinned to himself, and went to retrieve the Admiral for their war council.


	5. Chapter 5

Anakin made it onto the bridge as a small blockade runner dropped out of hyperspace nearby. Clearly marked as a Republic vessel.

"Admiral Kilian's second ship?" Anakin queried as he approached the command centre. "I thought he said it was another cruiser."

"He did," Yularen looked at the schematics his technical officer was bringing up on the small ship.

"Well that's not a cruiser," Anakin tilted his head thoughtfully. "Though I feel something..." his train of thought went quiet as the communications lieutenant popped up.

"Sir. We've got an incoming transmission."

"Let's hear it," the Captain waved him to broadcast it.

" _Stealth_ have failed to execute order 66-S, but managed to preserve his Padawan Tano. Requesting status report."

"Ahsoka?" Anakin was aghast.

" _Saviour_ and _Defiance_ succeeded in executing Order 66-S," the Captain conveyed what seemed to be becoming a routine greeting. "Skywalker and Kenobi are aboard."

"Thank god for that," came the disembodied voice from the other end.

"They should be able to dock with us," Anakin instructed the Captain. "Get Ahsoka to the briefing room once she's aboard. We're going to need her help. Admiral," he gestured with his head. "We're ready for you. Captain, join us when you're free. Ask Captain Rex to join us as well."

"Sir," the Captain nodded and turned to issue orders to his men.

When Anakin returned to the briefing room he was surprised to see a clone Commander with a dirtied yellow shoulder band had joined them.

"Cody!" he was genuinely pleased. It only took him a fraction of a second to press some more pieces of the puzzle into place. "Leader of Order 66-K I assume."

"Yes General," Commander Cody nodded. Obi-Wan's Commander, leader of his battalion.

"Did you cook it up?"

"Sir?"

"The plan to rescue Obi-Wan," Anakin clarified. "Did you cook it up?"

Commander Cody gave a single sharp nod of affirmation.

"You've done a great service to the Republic. And to me," Anakin clapped him on the shoulder, true appreciation to a friend. "Thank you."

Captain Rex joined them shortly after, stopping, startled in the doorway when he set eyes on Cody. The two clones froze, remembering the last time they'd stood shoulder to shoulder. On Coruscant, the first to hear the Executive order issued directly from the Chancellor. Mere days ago they'd looked at each other, nodded in unison as if they were carrying out the ghastly order. They'd both assumed they would never be brothers again and parted, leaving in different directions. Only to both pursue a better path and end up together here once more.

Captain Rex nodded in understanding to his brother. "Commander," he greeted.

Commander Cody nodded back. "Captain," he replied.

They were the same. After all this, they were still the same. Those two words said everything, and they clasped forearms reinitiating their bond. Their mission to assist and protect the Jedi.

The moment passed and both took their seats at the briefing table. Commander Cody by Obi-Wan's left shoulder. Captain Rex at Anakin's.

Both Admirals, the _Saviour's_ Captain and Ahsoka soon joined them as well.

It was Padmé who bridged the gap with the ex-Padawan when Anakin stood but clearly couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. Padmé moved forward and hugged the young woman tightly. "It's good to see you again Ahsoka."

"It's good to see you too Senator," came the genuine though hesitant response. Her glance down was not well concealed and she struggled for words for a moment. "I see my old Master's recklessness knows no boundaries."

Her guess about Padmé's baby was confirmed when a hearty protest of "Hey!" came from the other side of the table and Anakin's mouth. "She was just as involved as I was."

" _She_ can have babies with whomever she wants."

Anakin stood, rounding the table with a smile on his face. "Well it turns out I can too."

He moved forward and hugged her. "How're you doin' Snips?"

"Fine until that platoon of yours jumped me on Ansion."

"What were you doing on Ansion?" Anakin asked suspiciously, immediately sounding like a chastising parent. "You're supposed to be keeping yourself safe!"

"Lux –"

"If she says the name Lux Bonteri –" he warned with a threatening growl to no one in particular. He didn't finish that thought, instead giving an exasperated repeat of the oft-taught lesson "Purpose before feelings."

The ripple of disbelieving amusement running through the Force came from multiple sources in the room. Ahsoka. Obi-Wan. _Padmé_. He lifted his arms and folded them across his broad chest, the body language silently chastising his old padawan.

"Oh so it's alright for _you_ to –" she didn't actually voice the mixture of emotional bond and physical manifestation that was his obvious deep love for the outspoken Senator. Instead she simply gestured her fingers in Padmé's general direction. Her eyes never left her angry ex-Master's.

"Do _that_ ," were the words that accompanied it. "Why can't I?"

His features turned horrified as he quickly glared her down with a determined "you had better _not_ be doing _that_."

She crossed her arms in unmoving challenge, not backing down from the fight. "I am free, Master. _You_ are not."

He took a deep breath when Padmé's hand gently touched his back. An unspoken communication to calm down, that his words weren't helping. He paused, took in Ahsoka's defiant features, shook his head. Love and its complexities weren't something they had the luxury of time to debate right now. It wasn't a discussion he particularly wanted an audience for either. Padmé's thumb moved down his spine and pressed into his skin, he took her advice and changed tack.

"Their orders are to execute Jedi past, present and future," he calmed his tone and parroted what he'd heard more times than he'd like to count since this mess began. "If those troopers hadn't saved you, you'd have been killed by any other clone who recognised you."

Ahsoka took in his words but instead of accepting them looked to Padmé with a shrewd eye. "That's why you're here? Future Jedi?"

"Order 66-S2," Padmé volunteered.

Anakin hard stance finally softened and his folded arms dropped from across his chest, dark glove disappearing to slide around her waist in relief.

"Luckily Captain Rex is more astute than the entire Jedi order," he brushed his fingers along the side of Padmé's belly.

"I had other concerns," Obi-Wan defended with an exasperated huff from the other side of the table, taking his comment as a personal affront. "I can't concentrate on your personal life when the galaxy is falling apart Anakin."

"You're excused, you need to pay attention to your own first," Anakin shot back.

"I don't _have_ a personal life," Obi-Wan stressed.

"That's the problem," the sparring continued, now with quite an audience.

"Gentleman," Padmé tried to bring the conversation to a diplomatic end but to no avail.

"Jedi are not meant to form relationships, let alone pair bonds," Obi-Wan just couldn't stop himself from chastising Anakin in the exact same way Anakin had just jumped on Ahsoka.

"Really? And how's that working out for Mandalore? Did you and Padmé decide how you're going to keep Satine and her people from being slaughtered?"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan growled warningly.

"Enough!" Padmé cut them both off. "Ahsoka, we're all glad you're alive. Please join us."

She turned in her husband's arm and pressed against his chest, speaking low under her breath in a very private tone. "We will sort Obi-Wan out. I promise, if we have to go to Mandalore and marry them ourselves then we will. Then you can go beat up Ahsoka's boyfriend all you like. But we need to deal with the more pressing issues of this growing fleet first. So please. Sit. Down."

Anakin smirked, kissed her cheek and murmured "as my wife commands," then let her go. And took his seat. He and Obi-Wan exchanged brief glares across the table until Padmé lowered herself into the chair at the head.

"The most pressing issue is re-supply," Padmé began the meeting. "By my estimates, when Admiral Kilian's second ship arrives, we will have fifteen thousand men."

"Make that twenty-five," Admiral Yularen updated her with his latest figures. "Two more of my fleet have contacted us covertly. They were prepared to execute Order 66-S but weren't with General Skywalker at the time the order was given. Rather than participate they evacuated their battle fronts and are proceeding to rendezvous to assist the Jedi. We expect them to arrive within twelve hours."

He touched a button on the desk and a holoprojection appeared before them. Thousands upon thousands of tiny men sprang up, lined up in formation, then disappearing into the ships they were currently assigned to that levitated just above. A representation of the army's complete ranks as they currently stood.

"The entirety of those currently assigned to the 501st will join us by this time tomorrow."

"My battalion," Anakin said in disbelieving wonder, watching a small part of the projection turn red to indicate the percentage that had turned away from the Empire. His loyal troopers.

Padmé updated the numbers on her own console and nodded, removing one data chip and inserting another. "We need credit, and supporters. We'll need somewhere close that we can re-stock without attracting Imperial attention."

"We're already in Hutt-controlled territory," Obi-Wan calmly pointed out.

"But the first ship that leaves Mos Eisely and heads into the Core or even the Mid-Rim will take with them word of a fleet massing near Tatooine. And the Imperial forces will come to investigate." He turned a sombre face on Obi-Wan. "We would."

There were nods of agreement around the table.

Padmé touched a button and Admiral Yularen's projection of troopers and ships shrunk to half its size, moving to one end of the table. She brought up her own projection, of the stars in their galaxy. It filled the room, dwarfing the troop movements.

"These are all the planets in the Republic. Empire," she corrected herself with a grimace, then touched a button. Many of the planets turned blue.

"These are the Separatist systems," she touched another button and a scattered handful of planets turned yellow.

"There are senators on both sides, people who argued for the war to end, who fostered peace talks, who tried to negotiate." She paused and looked away angrily. "We've all now been marked as traitors, no doubt they're being rounded up and executed as the Jedi are," she was clearly angry but gathered herself.

At the jab of her finger, a small number of individual systems began blinking red. "These are the signatories to the petition of 2,000. The planets brave enough to openly oppose Palpatine."

Standing, she began naming them, pointing her finger at the disparate pinpricks of light. "Chandrila. Alderaan. Naboo. Pantera."

"The numbers are small," Obi-Wan pointed out the obvious weakness.

"Yes," Padmé agreed. "And likely to dwindle as the brave Senators are picked off. If I know Palpatine he'll start replacing them with Imperials of his own choosing. Which is why it's vital that if we're going to strike, we do so quickly, before those voices of dissent are silenced forever."

"We need to re-supply first though, milady," Admiral Kilian reminded.

"Our democratic friends are also our supply bases," she said explicitly what the Generals were not understanding.

Anakin reached out and forced the projection to zoom in on one sector. Getting to his feet he strode around the room. "We're here," he pointed to the glowing light. "Masked behind Tatooine's binary suns. Which means we have," he started counting them off "six" was the total "friendly systems nearby."

"A woefully small number," Ahsoka commented.

"One is enough," Padmé countered. "But it can't be Naboo, so five."

"Why not Naboo?" Commander Cody piped up with the question no one else was brave enough to voice, afraid to insult the Senator.

"Because they'll already be there looking for me. And," she flicked their projection over to the news from two hours ago, "Palpatine just announced that his homeworld will be the lucky recipients of the first Imperial garrison."

"Ahhh," Obi-Wan leant back. "Lets avoid any Imperial entanglement."

"And what do we do then?" Admiral Yularen pressed. "Even if we do manage to find the millions of credits it would cost to resupply six Republic cruisers and a blockade runner, what then? Where do we go?"

"We take Coruscant," Anakin pointed out like it was obvious.

"Lady Skywalker has already ruled that out," Yularen countered. "It would be a military coup. It goes against the Republic we're fighting to restore."

Anakin looked to Padmé in surprise.

"No, I didn't say we couldn't take Coruscant. I said we couldn't take Coruscant _with force_."

She now smiled. "I've been brushing up on the constitution of the Republic. Palpatine may have declared himself Emperor and outlawed the Jedi, but they're only announcements. The role of the Jedi is written into the constitution, their powers cannot be stripped by vote."

"I don't understand," Ahsoka sat forward. "Even if the Jedi were not outlawed, clone troopers would still shoot us on sight, so the end result is the same. No Jedi."

"For a constitutional breach there are two bodies that have the power to strip a position. The Senate – who are complicit in this entire disaster and will not make a move – and the Jedi."

She looked from Anakin to Obi-Wan and back again. " _You_ have the power to arrest the Chancellor for what he has done. It's one of the basic principles in the founding constitution of the Republic. Palpatine's Empire is too new to have any such laws established, so for now he is proceeding as it was before. No changes except himself as an autocratic head."

Here her eyes met Anakin's with dangerous understanding, something neither of them could admit to have discussed outside their marriage.

"A head that can be severed."

Anakin nodded slowly, beginning to understand where she was going with this. "It's what Mace Windu and Master Fisto had gone to do when Boyle's team extracted me. Arrest the Chancellor. The one thing they could do without his authority."

"Clearly they failed," Obi-Wan's fingers went contemplatively to his beard.

"We won't."

"So we storm the capital to create a diversion while you two slip in to take on the Chancellor?" Ahsoka offered up her plan.

"No," Captain Rex immediately countered. "Brothers don't kill brothers. I won't lead my men to kill troopers who are only following orders."

"Agreed," Anakin immediately backed him up. "This is a stealth operation. Besides, the number of troops on and around Coruscant grows by the day, they already vastly outnumber our small group of loyalists."

Padmé took up the reins of the conversation again. "Once you have taken out the Chancellor the Clone troops should no longer look to him as Supreme Commander and this ghastly Order 66 can be rescinded."

"Who is the next in line to head the army then?" Yularen was the one to ask.

"Captain, you'd better get up here," a worried voice sounded over the com.

Every one in that briefing room had led troops into battle. They all immediately go to their feet and evacuated to the bridge – Jedi, officers, Senator and free-lance trouble maker.

Padmé's eyes were disbelieving as she watched Republic ship after Republic ship drop out of hyperspace around them, filling the viewport. The com had been left open and a stream of announcements flooded in.

"This is the _Raptor_ executing Order 66-U. Confirmed, we have Master Unduli."

"This is the _Protector_ executing Order 66-W. Confirmed, we have Master Windu."

"This is the medical frigate _Safe Harbour_ executing Order 66-S. We do not have Skywalker but can render assistance."

"This is the _Nighthawk_ executing Order 66-P. Confirmed, we have Master Plo."

"This is the resupply ship _Endeavour_ executing Order 66-S. We do not have Skywalker but are fully stocked and can render assistance.

"Mistress Padmé, Mistress Padmé!" Threepio appeared from nowhere with an urgent shuffle to his footsteps. "Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantera have both contacted you seeking an urgent audience. They want to aid your Rebellion."

"Maybe we're not outnumbered after all," Anakin broke the disbelieving silence as a major battle group and political allies began amassing around them.


	6. Chapter 6

The door to their quarters snapped up, a silent darkness laid out before him. He moved in without a sound, waving his hand to bring the lights up to a minimal glow. She'd gone to bed long ago and was now laid out on her side, fast asleep. He tossed his boots into a corner and stripped off his outer layers until his chest was bare. Then he slid into bed beside her and drew her in close.

"Any news?" she shifted in to him with a dozing query.

"They're still trying to sort everyone out. I'll check in later."

Basking in the contact of her body wrapped around him he encouraged her head to his shoulder.

"I'm worried," Padmé cuddled into him, trying and failing to fall back to sleep.

He twitched the fingers laying against her upper arm, now detecting her slight hiccup of breath against his breastbone.

"Why?" Anakin stroked her shoulder soothingly with his thumb. "It's a good plan and we now have a substantial force. I know we will win."

"We're both marked for death," she quietly reminded. "What if – what if they kill me before the baby is born? When it's still inside me?"

Anakin's throat closed at the horrific thought and he clutched at her arm.

"Will it die too?" she pursued.

He let her go and propped himself up on an elbow to glare menacingly down. "Don't talk like that," he ordered stiffly. "You and the baby will be fine."

"You don't know that. You had dreams, before, where I died in childbirth. Maybe that was a portent like your mother –"

He shook his head and held up his hand to calm her runaway thoughts.

"I've had other dreams since," he soothed. "You'll both be fine. I've seen it."

Padmé paused, studied him and his quiet sure features. "Really?"

"Yes." He reached out and tucked a hair behind her ear. "You were happy. You were holding the baby." He purposely put his hand down and touched their future still growing inside her. " _Everyone_ ," he stressed, "is going to be ok."

He returned to laying on his back, his preferred sleeping position, and tugged her back to him.

"Oh," Padmé didn't know what to say.

"So don't worry," he assured her. "What you should worry about, is who is going to fill the power vacuum when we are successful."

He turned his head to lift an eyebrow at her.

"No!" she read his implication and hotly protested it. "The galaxy has had enough of Naboo for this lifetime."

"Who then?" he asked. "Who would you pick?"

"Organa, perhaps."

His fingers stopped moving and she felt the chest muscles beneath her cheek slowly tense until his torso was hard stone. When he sucked in a hard breath she raised her head to gauge his mood.

"What's wrong with Bail?" she was surprised to see the look of disgust that had come across his face.

"I don't know," he couldn't quite put into words the uncomfortable feeling he had whenever he was around the Senator from Alderaan. It had worsened lately. "I feel like, if given the opportunity he would steal our future children."

"Anakin!" she vehemently protested the accusation that came from nowhere.

"That's what it feels like," he said grumpily. "I'm not saying he has, stolen people's children that is."

"He is a great champion of peace! He has not _stolen people's children_ " she defended her good friend and closest ally.

"I can't change how I feel. Though I won't be letting him near our baby when she comes, that's for sure. Who else?"

Padmé grumbled but didn't say anything more on that odd subject, putting it down to sleepiness on both their parts.

"Senator Mothma perhaps. Though she's very young."

"Mmm, so you then," he kissed the top of her head and settled in to sleep.

"Not me," she murmured, feeling her body begin to clam as Anakin did, her mind now focused on other things. Pleasant things. "When this is all over I am going home to Naboo. I just want to be with our baby."

"Oh," Anakin smiled to himself. "You – you'd do that for the baby? Give up your Senate seat?"

"I've already given up my Senate seat."

"For the Empire. What about when we restore the Republic? Will you stop representing your people?"

"For a little while," she buried her face in his throat. "I can't wait to be with him Ani."

"Then I'll make sure it happens," Anakin paused then couldn't resist. "But it's a girl. I'll give you a boy next time."

She giggled softly and twined her legs with his, slowly drifting into unconsciousness buried in her husband's scent.

When she awoke she still had company, an utterly unfamiliar occurrence. Even more confusing was the presence of his unmoving right hand resting against her stomach, palm open, fit to the curve. It was the only place he was touching her.

His breathing wasn't deep enough to still be asleep. Without opening her eyes she asked "What is it?"

"Why isn't the baby moving anymore?" his voice was quiet and unsteady.

Padmé drew in a deep breath then yawned, reaching down to cover his still and silent hand. "It kicked all yesterday," she wasn't worried. "I appreciate the few hours rest." Then her eyes popped open and she looked at him worriedly. "Why? Is something wrong?"

His features crinkled then he slowly shook his head, not raising it from the pillow. " _I_ haven't felt it in days. I just wanted to."

Padmé sighed, smiling at him in relief. "Wait there," she squeezed his hand in reassurance. "It will wake soon enough."

Silence fells and Padmé dozed off again. Anakin waited half an hour then couldn't lie still anymore. In a quiet plea to make itself known he leaned down and pressed both his hands, then his lips, to Padmé's stomach. His offspring didn't stir so he left the pair of them to their rest and strode into the fresher. When he emerged some time later Padmé was sitting up and he moved to kiss her.

"Good morning," she greeted, stroking his smooth cheek.

"Yes, good morning," he murmured back, his fingertips caressing her bare throat. "I'm going to the bridge to hear the update report when the crew do a shift change. Then I'm going to have breakfast in the mess. Join me?"

"I would love to."

He kissed her once more, twice, a third time hard on the lips then pulled away. "I'll see you shortly."

He was out the door but before it could shut his head poked back in. "See if you can get my daughter to wake up in the meantime. I'd like to feel her again."

"It's unlikely. Your son is just as stubborn as you are," Padmé countered cheekily.

Anakin smirked and disappeared.

Three minutes later he was standing silently on the bridge as the officers did a shift change. Obi-Wan appeared by his side. A frown had already settled on his master's brow and seemed to deepen with every moment that passed.

Both could feel it, a haze of doubt had come to settle over the bridge crew as they worked through the night. It was a vast change when only last evening there had been jubilation, and Anakin didn't need an update report to know the news wasn't good.

One clone in a Bridge Officer's uniform stepped forward to address the small gathering of command officers, Jedi Generals and Navy Admirals. He dove right in.

"Barring you two," he nodded towards Anakin and Obi-Wan, "no Master was rescued pre-emptively."

"Meaning?" Anakin prompted when the Captain didn't go on.

"They've all been injured, some gravely," he brought up a list on the screen before them and Anakin's eyes scanned it quickly.

Missing limbs, near fatal blast shots, concussive head trauma, it read like a medical text on life-ending injuries.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Obi-Wan's fingers reaching up to twist his short beard in thought.

"A Medical frigate, _Safe Harbour_ , was one of those that joined us yesterday." The Captain turned back and reluctantly met the blue eyes of first one Jedi, then the other. "All adults have now been transferred to the frigate and are being treated. Those members of the Council that joined us are all in bacta and will be for some time. There were a number of children, Padawan Tahno volunteered to supervise them for now."

" _All_ of them were that injured?" Anakin asked in disbelief.

He shared a worried look with Obi-Wan.

"You had better tell us how their teams managed to rescue them."

* * *

He met her in the mess hall half an hour later and pulled out her chair just before she could sit. He moved in close, not kissing, but close. Their eyes stayed locked until she was seated and he took the chair beside her.

She picked up her fork cautiously.

"Bail Organa left me a message over night," she conveyed in private hish.

Anakin's hand reached out and settled on her tummy. "He heard about our daughter?" he eluded to his comment last night.

His dark humour made her eyes narrow. "That's not funny," she said quietly.

In front of the half-full mess hall and thirty men Anakin put his fork down then bent below the table. "I," he enunciated "am your father." Both his hands pressed against her stomach. "Anakin Skywalker," he made clear. "In case Bail Organa steals you and tells you otherwise."

"Anakin," Padmé hissed, looking around to see how much entertainment they were providing to the crowd.

Anakin leaned forward and, dropping the act, pressed his lips to the swelling. "Love you my youngling," he whispered, and this time no one but the child could hear him. "And I _will_ be here with you while you grow up. Death sentence or no."

He then re-emerged, sitting up to his breakfast and picking up his fork again. But he left one quite serious hand on the baby, that odd feeling in the Force lingering after she had mentioned Bail Organa, though he couldn't sense why.

"What did he want?"

"To speak more precisely about his offer of aid."

"I don't think Senator Organa's idea of aid is what we need," Anakin really did his best to be diplomatic. "Food, bandages and fluffy feelings are nice for a refugee cause, but this is a serious military operation."

"He was offering unmarked credits," Padmé rebutted him crossly.

"Oh!" Anakin perked right up. "That's more useful."

"And stealth access to the Senate building."

His chewing slowed and he looked at her.

"How can he do that? Isn't he one of your petitioners? With a bounty on his head?"

"Apparently the only one with a bounty is me," her hand came down to cover his and together they squeezed their fingers, stoic silence abounding because she still feared that she and with her the little one, would be killed. "Palpatine knows of the petition but it was never delivered. Mine is the only name assigned to it. I'm the one who was going to put the motion forward and I'm the one who had Mas Amedda add it to the Senate debate timetable two weeks ago."

Anakin nodded thoughtfully.

"Should you need access to Palpatine's office, he's offering it."

"Why?" Anakin asked suspiciously. "That sounds convenient. Almost like a trap."

"Don't you like springing those?"

"Yes," Anakin didn't sound convincing. "But not when your life is at stake." He shook his head, taking a drink of water and staring off into the distance, his mind occupied with scenarios. "Why is Organa, a celebrated pacifist, making this move now?"

"Because the Emperor has gone too far. Even for him. Besides, Bail has bite when he wants to. He's been involved in his own under-handed dealings in this war. The relief mission to Ryloth?" she reminded.

" _Relief_ ," Anakin restressed his point that Organa was not involved in military operations.

"Alright but running those supplies from the Toydarian homeworld without the Separatists knowing was not a pacifist mission."

"I guess," Anakin muttered. "You know, I do daring heroic things all the time."

Padmé turned away from her meal, stopped eating and stared at him. He looked right back, lifting a spoon of broth to his mouth and continue to sip at it.

"You're jealous," she was disbelieving.

"Do I need to be?"

Padmé's face suddenly lit up and it took everything she had not to laugh. "You're breakfast smells repulsive," she pushed the bowl away from him, across the table.

Confused by the apparent non sequitur he looked after the bowl then asked "Why did you do that?"

She tilted her head at his charming innocence.

"Do you know why your breakfast smells?" she prompted.

"No," he answered, straight forward enough. "Tastes fine to me. Perhaps not good enough for someone who'd rather be eating fresh fruit from Naboo orchards, but we are on a military vessel that's fast running out of supplies. Is that your point? You'd rather be eating Alderaanian delicacies than Army grub?" he was getting up a head of annoyed, passionate steam now.

"No," Padmé said simply. "I'm pregnant. Your daring, passionate heroics, your downright recklessness, makes me love you. So. Much. So now I'm pregnant and its made my senses funny."

She lifted a knowing eyebrow at him. Glanced down towards the large spans of his hands, then her own swollen chest. Looked up again pointedly.

Anakin's eyes lit with a mischievous sparkle in understanding.

"The baby is making sure that the smell of Hoi Broth makes me nauseous, but we're on the run on a military vessel that's fast running out of supplies," she mimicked him "so that's all there is." Then she leaned in close. "And I would rather be here with you, than anywhere else in the galaxy."

They both paused for a moment, gazing into one another's eyes.

"I guess he can give us credits," Anakin eventually allowed, ever so graciously, with an exaggerated sigh.

"And images of the temple," Padmé picked up her fork again and paused, waiting for him to respond.

As expected, his features darkened. "Why would you want that?"

"This is a war of propaganda," she explained quietly. "Palpatine is now trumpeting how quickly things are changing under his all-controlling Empire. But he only talks about the good." She gave him time to digest that, slipping into silence while she picked at her food.

"People have to know of the atrocities too," she revealed to him in with a soft quietness. "There have been no broadcasts, no mention of it at all. Yet Senator Chuchi sent me a personal message this morning describing the spires of smoke, the blanket of it that hangs over the entire sector. Everyone can see it but no one can speak of it. To not speak of evil is to condone its existence."

The leather in Anakin's right glove creaked.

"The slaughtered Jedi are not tools to be bartered," he warned her angrily. "Not for your propaganda campaign or anything else.

"Nor should their sacrifice be forgotten," Padmé countered. "And I don't want the remaining Jedi to follow them to death." Her gaze bore into his. "Unless you would prefer that Bail Organa raise your daughter."

His thumb twitched, still lying on his unborn offspring. "You admit it's a girl."

"Anakin!" she was exasperated. "We cannot destroy Palpatine if the public has bought into his fantasy of greater good and hidden atrocities. Destroying one man accomplishes nothing, it creates a martyr to a cause. We need the support of the people."

"Alright alright," he waved his hand, indicating that he got it. "I will take Palpatine's heart with my lightsaber." He gave her a sly, knowing grin. "You can win the rest of the galaxy's."

"You are awfully cocky this morning," even as she was saying it she realised he was incredibly arrogant for a man on the run with a small fleet fast burning through their supplies. "Did more ships join us overnight?"

Anakin looked at her with a hopefully big grin. "Seventy-two."

Her fork clattered to the plate. "What?!"

He nodded. "Mostly smaller ships, some masters with their Padawans. One transport of younglings participating in the gathering." She still looked stunned when he clarified "They were out searching for crystals to build their lightsabers. Only you, me and Obi-Wan got out unscathed. Many of them are recuperating or still in bacta." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "No one had as many troopers as you my love."

"Seventy-two," Padmé repeated in awe.

"One," he offered casually. "Was on a mission that brought them through Mandalore."

"The Duchess?" Padmé asked after her friend worriedly.

"Is in mourning," he shot an annoyed glance toward the door, as if to chastise Obi-Wan for bringing unnecessary grief down on the woman who loved him. "But the real problem is that the Separatists aren't the only ones getting too close. Three Republic Cruisers now happen to be stationed within a five hour jump of Satine's palace."

"Imperial cruisers," she mindlessly corrected, her mind already wandering. "Why Mandalore?"

"Obi-Wan," Anakin shrugged, as if it was obvious.

"Excuse me?"

"Obi-Wan. His dead body hasn't turned up. In fact the Emperor is finding himself short a few dead Jedi. Important ones. Many of the Masters are here with us – Windu, Unduli, Plo, Kenobi."

"So if the plan was to parade you all as dead traitors –"

"Then its failing," he finished her thought with a nod. "The Jedi have no attachments, no ties to draw them out beyond the other Jedi." His eyes flashed. "Except you, and me," he didn't need to say it.

"Ani," she swallowed, not sure she wanted to know the answer to this. "Does the Emperor know about us?"

Anakin looked down at his breakfast and didn't look up. "In hindsight, yes, probably. When he and I speak, you are a frequent topic."

"Why?" she asked, pained at the thought that the evil sith knew, that she was now one of Anakin's weaknesses.

"I have cared for you," he swallowed, "for a long time. It's not the Jedi way. There was no one I could talk to about how it – it ached. To think about you and feel for you and not – be with you," he stumbled. "Not be allowed to even feel. But the Chancellor didn't mind."

"Does he know about the baby?" she could barely bring herself to ask.

"No," Anakin was firm about that. "After Geonosis I had you to talk to." His resolve wavered and his brow furrowed. "At least..."

"Ani?" she prompted when he remained silent.

"He told me the story of a benevolent Sith," Anakin slowly remembered. "The last time I saw him. When I was having those dreams about your death. He offered me a solution." He turned to his wife in horrified shock. "Does he know?!"

She shook her head, indicating she had no idea either.

"You're going to kill him, remember? Besides, I'm with you, I'm safe."

"Right," his fingers squeezed against the baby again. "You're with me. Satine, on the other hand, is still very publically sitting on Mandalore. Unprotected. No army. Mourning Obi-Wan."

Padmé's features fell.

"Oh no."

"Palpatine knows about you, but he can't get to you because Rex is too smart for him and now you don't leave my sight," he promised with deathly intent. "He also knows about Satine. An attachment, a weakness. Obi-Wan's weakness."

"A pawn," Padmé quietly realised. "She won't go quietly."

"No. He's probably counting on that. Whatever he does it will be very public. To draw Obi-Wan in," he stopped trying to second guess the Emperor for a moment and drew his hand from Padmé's midsection briefly, only to draw her own hand up over his heart. He held it there, letting her feel it pounding hard with worry.

"Don't," he started to say but couldn't finish his sentence.

"I'm not going anywhere," Padmé assured him in her own quiet way, a solemn vow to stay close. To not be turned against him as a pawn, as they could see was about to happen to Obi-Wan. "Right by your side. Always."

He nodded, too overcome to speak.

"We need to go down to the planet, so I can get back to Bail."

"Com him from here," Anakin countered, already shaking his head.

"Which will have the signature of a Republic cruiser and signal to all and sundry that I am certainly not alone. In fact it will confirm that I am the leader of a Rebellion, just as the Emperor is claiming. No, I need to look like I'm on the run with no resources at all. A public terminal in Mos Espa," she decreed. "Will do the job nicely."

Obi-Wan appeared at their table, a spring in his step.

"I had a thought while I was meditating this morning. A solution to our shortage of funds."

"Oh?" Anakin looked up at the master thoughtfully.

"Bail Organa has offered what he can," Padmé relayed her earlier message.

The auburn haired Jedi master grinned. "This is more immediate. Come with me," he waved.

"Actually I have to speak to Threepio. Anakin, I will meet you in the hanger bay?"

He nodded, stood and left her to finish her breakfast, curious as to just what revelation Obi-Wan had to show him. They twisted through the many hallways of the ship until they stood at a locked door, buried deep, hidden back behind the hyperdrive engines.

"What is this?" Anakin asked curiously, looking for the locking mechanism to open the door. There wasn't one.

Holding out his hand, Obi-Wan quieted his mind and reached out into the force. A moment later the door slid open and the two walked inside. Anakin's eyes widened as he looked around him at stacks upon stacks of unmarked credits.

"Emergency funds," Obi-Wan explained. "Every Republic cruiser has one, though only the Jedi Council and the clones who installed it would know about this room." He watched Anakin carefully, waiting to see what his friend's reaction would be.

"This doesn't upset you?" he prodded. "That you weren't told? Trusted with this knowledge."

Anakin folded his arms across his broad chest and looked around the embarrassment of riches. "I'm alive. Most of the Jedi are dead. The council members that made it did not survive unscathed."

He lifted an eyebrow at Obi-Wan. "So they didn't tell me about a few million Republic Credits. They've done worse."

"You're very calm about this," Obi-Wan was suspicious.

"You've just told me I can feed my men and rearm our ships. Good news."

"Well we still haven't chosen a safe world to purchase from."

"We don't need a safe world." He grinned eagerly, surveying the walls lined with shining slivers of gold. "The Hutts just happen to be nearby, and they never ask questions when there is profit to be made."

* * *

Anakin was watchful, his cloak drawn so his face was hidden deep in shadow. Padmé had just swapped her medical robe for fawn coloured leggings and a tunic that cut wide over her belly, purchased from a droid three streets away. Her hair fell down her back in a single long twist of mahogany brown and Anakin couldn't help his eyes lingering over her. Their baby was utterly unhidden, on display with the way the tunic was tailored to emphasise it. She was also suddenly a lot more manoeuvrable in her knee high flat-bottomed boots. That was good, because they were already attracting attention.

She shook her head as Anakin held out a dark cloak to conceal her own identity, and abandoned the hospital robe altogether.

"I need to be recognised," she reminded. "I need word to get back to the capital, and quickly."

"I know," he still didn't have to like it.

He threw the cloak off to the side, then held out something much more practical. A thigh holster and a blaster. Not the well-designed, piece of art, delicate silver kind from Naboo but the black, power-packing serious kind from Corellia. While Padmé was choosing an outfit he'd been purchasing a pair of these, highly-illegally, on the black market.

She baulked when he held it out to her. Her fingers immediately drifted up to the rather delicate life form that would sit no more than a handspan away from that blaster, should she choose to wear it.

"Appearance is everything," he rationalised. "If you want the Senate to believe you've become an outlaw, dress like an outlaw. If you want every bounty hunter and spice runner in Mos Eisley to believe you're an easy mark, then walk around unarmed with the baby so big. I think you should look utterly ruthless, and to do that you need to be well-armed."

He held out the holster again.

She took it from him reluctantly.

"I don't like this," she registered her final protest as she bent to strap it on. It quickly became apparent that she no longer had the mobility to get her hands around her own leg.

A faint smile touched Anakin's lips and he knelt before her, running his hand up her thigh.

"I know," he confirmed. "I don't expect you to use it. It's for show. A last resort if something happens to me."

She nodded, watched as he pressed the blaster into the holster and locked the safety snap closed. Then he did the same to her other thigh.

Next he withdrew a knife.

"I don't think so!"

"It's only small!" he protested right back.

"No, Anakin," she said firmly.

"Inside your sleeve," he coaxed. "If your hands get tied for any reason, you'll be able to get free when they're not watching."

"Who is 'they'?" Padmé was having none of it.

"I don't know. Backup," he reiterated.

Her mouth flattened in an annoyed grimace. Then she lifted her left arm and held it out to him. Anakin pushed back her sleeve and took her wrist in his hand. Bending, he placed a lingering kiss to the soft skin.

She melted a little inside.

"It will be alright," he assured, looking up at her from under his lashes briefly.

Her heart fluttered and she got lost in the warmth livening those blue eyes.

"I hope so," she was still very concerned as he strapped the small knife to the inside of her wrist. Once he'd pulled her shirt sleeve back down it was not obvious that it lay there at all.

"Anything else?" she prodded.

"Just this." He stood before her, inclined his head, and kissed her softly. "Be loud, obvious, and quick," was his final advice. "I want us back with the fleet by sun down."

"I agree," she kept her voice quiet and steady. Touched his hip briefly. Then stood back.

"Come on," she emerged from the darkened doorway and into the blindingly hot, arid air.

Captain Rex had donned tight black leathers, a low slung belt with a deadly blaster hanging off either side and a low-pulled hat. He was leaning against the outside of the building, his eyes scanning the passers by.

"Scum, every one of them," he observed to Anakin with feigned disinterest, righting himself to walk at Padmé's other side.

"Bounty hunters, spice runners, some fleeing a Republic death sentence," Anakin agreed, holding the gaze of a scarred and rough looking Quarren who was missing an eye.

"And slaves," Padmé watched a child run past. Her fingers clenching to keep from brushing the underside of her belly. She couldn't afford to show weakness, compassion, any feeling at all.

She felt something else brush across her skin in a light caress and forced her features to stay perfectly relaxed. The tickling feeling passed and she briefly shifted her eyes to Anakin who wasn't even looking her way. He was watching the slave child run off and, a moment later, the Quarren went after it. Anakin's face darkened but he didn't turn to follow.

The brush beneath her clothes happened again. She knew from experience that touch was his. And it was reassuring.

Rex shuddered. "Got captured as a slave by those Zygerrians once. Put to work in a spice mine. It was _not_ pleasant I can tell you. Now if I'd been pretty like the General," he tossed his head in Anakin's direction "I'd have been personally attending to the Queen instead. Think I could have handled that a whole lot better." The trooper was eying a scantily clad Twi'lek walking past and didn't see the startled look on Padmé's face.

"Personally attending the Queen," Padmé repeated with a perfectly calm, even tone as they walked slowly but purposefully towards the public hanger bays.

She in front of the other two, her hair twisted and ready for battle, deadly blasters strapped to her thighs. Her posture had stiffened at Rex's words and her husband's features suddenly winced as he was blasted with her invisible rage.

"Errr," Anakin tried to think of some way to intervene. "Can we discuss this another time?"

Hopefully never.

"How does one _personally_ attend a Queen?" Padmé enquired of a distracted Rex.

"Sleep in her bedchamber, stand by her side at slave auctions," Rex's eyes drifted up to a massive beast and the three Jawas that were trying to it tame with rope. "Let her drape her half-naked self all over..."

"Rex," Anakin hissed, frantically trying to shut his companion up and cease the reminisce.

"Half-naked," Padmé repeated calmly. "In her bedchamber. I've not heard anything of this particular adventure."

Anakin didn't like the way she said _adventure_. With bitter distaste. He was in so much trouble.

"It's not what you think," he tried to warn her off, though he couldn't dedicate enough of his brain power to it because he was already stretched beyond his capacity, feeling for danger on _this_ adventure.

"Oh no?" Her own hand reached down, fingering a trigger on one of the blasters that swung with her luscious hips.

"Don't get upset," he changed his tactic. "It's bad for the baby," he was quite pleased with himself for that diversion. One she absolutely could not rebut.

"What, this baby?" she brushed her stomach briefly. Then turned her head and shot him a murderous glare. "Or one you left with the Zygerrian Queen?"

His jaw clamped shut in tight rage and glared back at her.

"Perhaps this is where the fear over Organa comes from," Padmé was sauntering now, which was never a good sign. She turned at the roughest looking bar and pressed open the saloon doors without another glance back. "Perhaps he has already adopted one of your bastard children?"

He took a hard step towards her and she let the retracting half-door go. The swinging door copped him hard in the chest, so hard he made a brief "oof" sound and had to plant his feet to keep from falling back. The moment he regained his footing he thrust his hand out and whacked the frustrating door open, storming after her.

Rex sighed, not liking where this was going. He glanced to a stall where Boyle was decked out in Mandalorian death squad armour and investigating the purchase of desperately needed hyperspace coils. Then he nodded subtly to Commander Cody, concealed in a space pirate's flight suit across the way. They had all the backup they could afford to conceal, there was nothing more he could do but follow the two bickering parents into the cool darkened din of the Cantina.

Padmé had already made serious headway on Anakin and was standing at the bar, her shoulders thrown back and a pissed-off look on her already tense features.

The scantily clad club dancer, on her break, had spotted Anakin and somehow sidled up to him despite the fact that he had barely made it through the door. And his eyes were staring lasers into the bar full of bounty hunters with eyes dragging over her body. Not the dancer who was barely concealed. Padmé.

As he compared the two side-by-side he had the sudden realisation of how different she looked. Not from a dancer, but from her usual self.

Her clothes on Coruscant had done a very good job of making her look unchanged, the same as always. Not pregnant. Since they'd been reunited onboard the _Saviour_ she had only worn a medical gown, the single garment to hand on a ship full of troopers that would adequately cover her ultra fertile feminine form. He hadn't really _noticed_ how she looked different, changed.

This tailored flight suit didn't hide her tummy. It emphasised the soft fullness that was rounding out her breasts, showing no skin but inviting everyone to imagine. It was one thing to have them bare in his mouth or cupped heavy in his palms while they were intimate. Quite another to witness thirty pairs of eyes covetously tracking her and feel their desire slam into him through the Force.

"I'm going to kill someone," he seethed to Rex as the trooper sidled past to take Padmé's back.

Rex faithfully tracked Padmé while Anakin had to use a mind trick to disentangle the exotic dancer. He ensured his hood was still pulled low then followed to the bar.

"Make that two," he appeared behind her and doubled the food order she'd just placed.

She didn't say anything but offered over credits to pay, silently complacent.

Padmé didn't look at him as she made her way to the back and an unused com station. The food would take some time to cook and in the meantime she could fulfil her purpose here.

Anakin stood behind her, their bodies back to back as Padmé faced the com station and he faced the deadly intentions of everyone else in the Cantina. His head was bent low to keep his face concealed but allow him enough vision to carefully study the scum warily keeping an eye on them. He didn't expect them to be able to stay long before trouble started.

"Hurry," he hissed under his breath as she waited for Bail to appear.

"Why, is there a Zygerrian Queen waiting for you to grace her bed?" Padmé wasn't nearly so quiet or low-key with her angry snap.

He'd had enough of this now and put an end to it. "No, there's an ex-Senator with a bounty on her head. She's the only one whose bed I have ever graced."

Padmé's heart melted at those words and she turned away from the holo projector to look around at him. "Ani –" she was just beginning to give him that soft private smile when Bail appeared before her with a startled "Senator Amidala?"

She reluctantly turned back to her friend and conjured up a thin polite smile for him.

"Senator Organa," she greeted with a politic head nod, knowing with absolutely certainty that their communication would be intercepted.

"Padmé are you alright?" Bail rushed quickly to informalities. "We feared the worst."

"For now," she used Anakin's tactic of not quite answering.

"Where are you?" Bail demanded. "Are you safe? Palpatine has declared you a traitor to the Republic. I'm trying to move a motion to have it overturned but now that he's emperor there is no chance to introduce it to the floor."

"Draft the motion but don't present it," was her calm advice. "The day is coming but we're not quite there yet."

"We?" Bail asked inquisitively, looking over her shoulder though he was on the other side of the galaxy.

Anakin tuned in to the conversation and briefly left his post as protector to Rex. He turned and stepped closer to Padmé, soon he was in the vision field of the recording.

"I have my Jedi protector with me," Padmé said simply, Anakin nodding a brief "Senator," in acknowledgement to the projection.

His fingers curled with the urge to touch his unborn child, reassure himself it was still there as he spared Organa a brief glance then turned his attention back to the room at large.

"Anakin Skywalker?" Bail gasped, stunned into momentary silence. "But – but, you were killed. The Emperor reported all members of the Jedi Council had been executed as traitors, and all remaining Jedi were to be hunted down. He specifically mentioned your name."

"Reports of my demise are – premature," Anakin chose the word carefully, tasting it bitterly on his tongue.

He suddenly spun and his saber was lit in an instant as a blaster shot straight for Padmé's back. Barely a heartbeat later she was crouching behind the holo table instead of sitting in front of it. A blaster was off her thigh and fit to the curve of her hand without thinking and she began visually assessing potential attackers in the darkened corners.

Anakin had caught that bolt and the five that followed, deflecting them into the sandy floor as he picked out their attacker. He spotted them, a pair of Rodians. His hand flew out and without thinking he had lifted one of the outlaws off her feet. From four metres away he tossed the still firing scum at a pillar and didn't need to watch for the satisfaction of hearing a crunch. The shots in Padmé's direction ceased. When he went to reach for the other, the male had already disappeared.

The Cantina had silenced and no one else moved. He turned slowly, seeking the other attacker's presence and finding none. He completed a revolution and was just turning back in Padmé's direction when he caught a hint of movement. His eyes widened and his heart seized as he watched eyes that were filled with the light of a thousand stars appear over her shoulder. A blaster raising to her head.

"No!" he cried.

He was too late. The Rodian was grinning evilly, the black barrel pressed to her temple. "Don't move Jedi," he threatened. The other hand appeared with a knife pointed directly at her middle.

He didn't think, didn't remember even moving, just that suddenly the creature had dropped both its weapons, was ten centimetres off the floor and clawing at its throat.

Padmé made a quick exit from her hostage-taker and smartly moved to the side, keeping Anakin between herself and the room.

"Who sent you?" Anakin demanded, twitching his thumb and using the force to press even close on its windpipe.

"N-no one," came the struggling gasp.

The female was getting to her feet and took a step towards Anakin's whose back was to her. Padmé saw, raised her blaster to protect her husband's back while he was otherwise occupied, and silently warned the woman to stay down. It worked.

Padmé didn't let her attention move from the room at large while Anakin demanded a furious "Who sent you?!"

"There's a bounty," the words were mere gasps. "On. Her. Senator."

"How do you know she's a Senator?" Anakin continued to interrogate.

"Holo," gasp, "transmission. Loyalist. Leader. Recognised."

"Anakin," Padmé warned quietly.

Anakin let him go and the man dropped to the ground, gasping for his life to take in air.

"She'd get mad if I killed you," he reasoned, leaning in close to the collapsed form with a quietly spoken, deadly threat. "Disappear. Before I change my mind."

The female came over and together they disappeared, sparing a single glance back. Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and Padmé resumed her place at the com station with her husband protecting her back.

Bail's mouth was open in horrified shock, the connection having remained open through the scene. He'd missed vital clues though, as soon as Padmé had moved he hadn't seen, only heard the ordeal. "Where are you?" he demanded. "You must get out of there!"

"And go where?" Padmé queried. "To a civilised Republic planet where I'll be arrested for treason or shot on sight?"

"Surely there must be –?"

"There is nowhere, Bail," she said firmly.

"But you're acting like an outlaw."

"I _am_ an Outlaw."

Anakin's hand appeared on her shoulder with a meaningful squeeze. The silent signal was enough to have her turn her head. Her hair and its long braid moved over one shoulder as she studied the increasingly interested parties whose eyes were turning their way.

Mission accomplished. They were noticed.

Bail's eyes were suddenly seeing more. He might not have seen her pregnant stomach but he saw the way Anakin touched her. The intimate familiarity in that single gesture couldn't be denied, it bespoke years of deep seeded trust and more. He opened his mouth to comment on it but Padmé gave a single shake of her head.

"I haven't much time. I need you to start talking about the ways Palpatine can legally be removed from government."

"Padmé, he can't," Bail said quietly.

"Yes, he can," she said firmly. "Treason. He can be arrested and removed from his position."

Bail was already shaking his head. "There is no one left who does not answer directly to him. I've already been looking into it. The checks and balances in the Republic's legislation relied on the Jedi – "

He cut himself off and raised his head again.

"I just happen to have one or two of those close at hand," Padmé grinned at him slyly, her hand reaching to her shoulder to touch Anakin's fingers. "You don't have to talk about it publically. Just start musing to other senators about the legality of it. In the dining hall, at a function, those sorts of things. I want the government to be thinking about it. So they're not surprised when the time comes."

"You're going to have the Jedi arrest him?" Bail had caught on and was looking up at Anakin now with deep suspicion.

"Yes, when the time comes." She repeated, then looked over her shoulder. "I must go."

He complied, aware of her dire situation.

"Stay safe, Padmé," he worried.

"You too." Padmé ended the com call and stood.

Anakin was at her side, his hands calmly folded into his sleeves as he escorted her. With his voice low he asked "You know every word of that conversation is going to get back to the Emperor? He'll have his slicers working on it right now."

"I know," she said calmly, crossing the floor at a reasonably slow pace so that everyone got a good look at her.

If the blow up earlier had failed to catch the attention of a few customers, then her fecund form laden with weaponry drew the last of them in. A Jedi strolling by her side added to the tableau. Every set of eyes was on them, and this would be getting back to the Emperor by the time they left the Cantina, let alone nightfall.

Padmé slid into a corner booth, keeping her back to the wall. It was on purpose, so Anakin would have one less angle of attack to worry about and for that he was grateful. "I'm counting on it. I want all his Emperor attention focused on legal intricacies and minutiae."

"Oh?" Anakin asked as a serving droid placed two mixed plates of steaming vegetables before them, the smells heavenly after mess hall rations for six straight days.

"Yes," Padmé too looked down to her food eagerly. She picked up her fork and scooped the loose rice. "He'll forget about what really matters while he's doing that."

"Which is?" Anakin prompted as he paused to watch her face light up at the first mouthful.

She paused, then smiled slyly at him.

"The hearts and minds of the people of the Republic."


	7. Chapter 7

Their escape from the planet's surface went just as well as their visit to the Cantina.

"What was that?" Anakin's cockpit hatch sprung open and he was yelling across the hanger bay at Obi-Wan before he'd even climbed out of his starfighter. "You could have gotten Padmé killed!"

"I was trying," Obi-Wan yanked at his restraining straps, "to save all our hides."

"By risking hers?"

The woosh of a third ship passing through the shields made Anakin turn.

"Anakin. Anakin!" Obi-Wan called after him in exasperation as Anakin made a bolt for the still-landing troop transport.

As soon as it had landed he was leaping up into the sliding back doorway, embracing Padmé in a close and tight hug.

"Would you stop that?" Obi-Wan finally let his temper get the best of him.

Anakin, of course, ignored him. The adrenaline still running through his veins and he was too concerned about the near-miss Padmé had just experienced.

"I'm alright," she was telling him softly, stroking her fingers down his cheeks to get him to look at her and calm down.

He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

"I was so worried," he whispered to her privately.

"I'm alright," she assured again.

"The baby can't –"

"The baby's fine too," Padmé cut off that train of thought. She took his hand and pressed it between them.

"She's perfectly fine," Obi-Wan chimed in. "Anakin you need to stop –"

"Stop what, Master?" Anakin turned his angry eyes in Obi-Wan's direction, though his hand remained on their child.

"You are a Jedi," Obi-Wan reminded through gritted teeth.

"They tried to shoot her down," Anakin argued back.

"You will be expelled from the Jedi order!"

That was one particular set of words that had been thrown at Anakin numerous times since he became Obi-Wan's apprentice.

"So?" was the very different answer he seethed back this time.

"Anakin!" both Padmé and Obi-Wan simultaneously shocked had exclaimed his name.

"Fine, expel me. I'll become one of the lost, an Outlaw. Oh wait." He let Padmé go, took a step back and gestured with his arms wide open to the _Saviour_ 's hanger bay. "I _am_ an Outlaw! I'm commanding a ship of Outlaws, in a hidden fleet of Outlaws. The galaxy is in the hands of an evil _Sith Lord_ , but by all means, lets keep arguing about my child." He put his hand back to the swelling. "Who hasn't moved in six days."

Obi-Wan did let up momentarily. With a concerned head tilt he confirmed with the Senator "Six days? That doesn't sound good. Should you be seeking help?"

"It's moved," Padmé reassured him. "It just won't move for Anakin."

"Perhaps he needs to calm down," Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest. "And be concerned by more important things."

Anakin paused and went silent. Then he turned widening eager eyes to Padmé. "There," he said in soft wonder, moving his other hand to touch the side of her belly as well. His back turned on Obi-Wan and his eyes glittered as he smiled down at Padmé in surprised joy. "I felt that for sure."

Padmé put a hand down to join his, smiling at how eagerly pleased he was.

It moved against his hand for a second time and Anakin brushed his thumb back in wonder. "Do you think that's a little foot?" he guessed at the soft fluttering.

She looked up, buoyed by his so very pleased demeanour when she caught sight of movement over his shoulder, through the open hanger bay doors and out in the space above them. In horrified disbelief she watched one of the Republic's biggest ships, newly painted in Empire grey, fall out of hyperspace and dwarf them in its shadow.

"Obi-Wan's right," she said quietly. "We have more important things to worry about."

" _Nothing_ ," he ducked into her sightline to get his point across. "Is more important than our baby."

His hands cupped her belly to prove it and his radiant smile was almost blinding.

Padmé slowly gave his shoulder a push so he was forced to turn and look in the direction she was.

"Not even that?"

The warning claxon of an incoming incursion started blaring in the hanger bay.

"Well, you were right," Obi-Wan too was looking at the enemy ship as it moved into range. "One bar brawl and word got back to Palpatine. I wonder how they got here so quickly. They must have been stationed nearby," he mused.

"They're launching fighters," Anakin observed small dots beginning to appear from the other ship. "We should take them on," he began moving towards his own starfighter mindlessly.

Obi-Wan gave a short sharp "No!"

Anakin stopped briefly, giving him a questioning look.

"We mustn't make the clones fight against one another," he clarified.

"We don't have time for this," Padmé reminded as they all watched the first shot streak out towards the _Defiance_ as it drifted close by. The hull breached and there was a small explosion. "We need to get to Mandalore."

"Right," Obi-Wan headed toward the turbo lift and the bridge so he could issue orders at command.

She caught Anakin's sleeve as he went to follow. "If we're too late getting to Satine –" she hurriedly reminded.

"We won't be." He leaned down, pressed a brief kiss to her lips, and followed after Obi-Wan. "I'll have Captain Rex find you. If we get boarded I don't want you alone today."

His hand brushed the heavy blaster still strapped to her thigh and gave her a meaningful look of 'Use it'. She nodded and left him to make his way to the bridge. She hunted Captain Rex down, suiting up which indicated he also though there was a chance they would be boarded.

"Lady Skywalker," he greeted passively.

"Captain Rex," she greeted, playing along this time.

The two of them made their way to the briefing room – the beginning of a war council. They had the next move to plan.

The fleet had jumped to Hyperspace by the time Anakin and Obi-Wan joined her. The ship's massive crew had started to make repairs to the damaged sections and fighters were being prepared.

Padmé was furiously drafting something.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, appearing at her shoulder.

"The Separatists," she looked up at him in eager anticipation. "We need to bring the Separatists back into the Republic."

His face turned into a scowl. "We need to destroy them, not befriend them."

"The people," she clarified, "the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Not the droid army. They left the Republic because they thought it was corrupt." She turned back to her document and continued typing with a realised "In hindsight, they could see more of the truth than we could."

"Oh," Anakin looked at her in surprise.

"We will need their help, if we're to fully restore democracy."

"I see, and how do you propose to do this? When we're heading out to destroy their army and save Obi-Wan's girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" An indignant Obi-Wan piped up from across the room.

Padmé and Anakin both turned to look at him, then shared a knowing private smile. The intimacy of a couple who wanted to see their own happiness on the faces of their friends.

"The Duchess has her part to play too," Padmé said cryptically, "in restoring faith in the Jedi as a neutral peacekeeper."

"I don't like the sound of that," Obi-Wan said warily.

"Perhaps not," Padmé ceded. "But she will see the need and agree. You will too, in time."

"To what?" he prodded.

"Declaring your neutrality in this war by marrying the Duchess. Having a child would help. Quickly, if you can manage it."

Anakin's glove raised to his lips and he was guffawing, trying to be quiet but barely able to restrain his laughter.

"I will not!" Obi-Wan protested.

"You will," Padmé promised with an airy, carefree tone. "Once you see how logical a path it is."

"I've never heard anything more ludicrous," Obi-Wan countered. "Since my old Padawan's plan to be a father, of course."

"An adventure on which you will soon join me, if Padmé gets her way," he tried to say with a straight face. He failed.

Obi-Wan sent him a despairing glare.

"You two need to drop it," he warned. "Satine and I will never –"

"Oh but you will," Padmé turned away from her document and stood up. Anakin at her back in silent but obvious support.

"The galaxy need to see that the Jedi are no one's pawn. Not the Emperor, not the Senate, not for credits or power. The only way to do that is to become neutral. This is impossible to do when you have spent the last three years leading the Republic's armies _against_ the Separatists. When you have advocated occupation of neutral systems such as Mandalore."

"For their _protection_ ," Obi-Wan reminded sternly.

"It does not matter," Padmé shook her head. "Anakin and I will not be able to hide our child, it won't be good for the Senate and the Jedi to appear so closely linked. There needs to be balance. There need to be alliances with the Separatists, and with neutral parties."

"There will be alliances," Obi-Wan reassured. "There is no need for them to be matrimonial."

"The people have had enough of words," Padmé warned. "There has been too much deception, too many great battles staged only for show. People now only believe the actions they see. Do you believe that Anakin cares for me?"

"Well you're not hiding it."

"Did you believe that two weeks ago, when you had yet to see it with your own eyes?"

"I rather wish it was two weeks ago and I'd seen nothing with my own eyes," he muttered.

"Nothing has changed between Anakin and I in that time. It's only your perception of it. Appearances are important. Alliances are important. _Peace_ is important."

"It's not the Jedi way," he reminded her softly, not looking to his ex-apprentice's eyes.

"The Jedi way will die with your generation, if you do not replenish yourselves quickly."

His eyes darted to her belly and her hand followed.

"We must all do our part," Anakin quietly chimed in, his hand drifting to join Padmé's. "The force is out of balance because there has been so much death and destruction at our hands. You must feel it."

"Yessss," Obi-Wan admitted, leaning back against the tabletop as he followed Anakin's reasoning.

"Now we must restore it. Have love where there was hate. Peace where there was destruction." His final statement was pointed, "Create life to replace those we have ended and the comrades we have lost."

"You're only saying this because it suits yourself and the transgression you've already committed," came one last argument.

"Perhaps," Anakin admitted. "With the baby on the way, my thinking has been changed. It brings hope and light like nothing in my life has before. Everything is different now. Padmé has a political point, marrying Satine will bring stability to the two thousand star systems she speaks for, and the thousands more who would see it as a sign of goodwill. But what she can't tell you is how the veil of the darkside lifts, just a little, when the baby kicks. That I feel the force more strongly after a night sleeping beside her. That there is peace in love. As you have always told me."

"Don't use my own words against me."

"You love her, Obi-Wan," Padmé chimed in. "And she very much loves you. Which is why a woman who has dedicated her life to duty and her people has allowed herself to near the climax of her childbearing years without producing a desperately-needed heir."

"Come on," Anakin coaxed him. "Future Duke of Mandalore?" he teased.

"And end up like Count Dooku?" Obi-Wan was affronted. "No thank you."

"Consort then," Padmé soothed. "Jedi protector. The term does not matter. The partnership does."

"Together you are strong," Anakin encouraged. "You defeated Death Squad."

"And you can help defeat the Emperor," Padmé emphasised.

That quieted him.

"Well, we'll see," we his final word on it.

Padmé and Anakin shared their secret knowing smile again. Then she got back to work, planning. And he moved to the holo to start planning their battle.

* * *

"All hands to battle stations. All hands to battle stations. Exit from hyperspace in one minute," the final countdown began.

Anakin and Padmé stood side-by-side on the _Saviour_.

"Do you think this will work?" Anakin confirmed one more time.

"I hope so," she confided. "We need more skilled political manoeuvring than I can provide alone. She and I..." she trailed off, incapable of finding the right word.

"Are the same," Anakin said it simply enough. "Pacifists." He stopped looking out the window so he could briefly look at Padmé. "Who are hard as durasteel inside."

Padmé gave him an affectionate smile at the comparison, then they both turned to watch out the window as they reverted to realspace.

The glowing orb that was Mandalore filled their front viewport fast. Their arrival wasn't subtle. They didn't slow down, instead powering through until they were approaching a geosynchronous orbit roughly over the palace. Only then did they reverse thrusters and come to a stop.

"This will be seen as threatening," Padmé worried, looking down onto the vastly populated planet.

"Good," Anakin said quietly. "Then it won't be difficult to get an audience with her highness."

A voice from the cockpit called out over the din. "They're contacting us sir!"

"Let's hear it," Yularen commanded.

"Imperial Army vessel, you have invaded Mandalorian territory. If you do not leave at once this will be taken as an act of war."

"You're up," Anakin looked to Padmé to make this happen.

She approached the com station and looked into the viewscreen. "This is Padmé Amidala, representative of Naboo." Anakin frowned when she didn't use the word 'Senator', didn't use the full title her people had bestowed upon her. Another thing he would have to take back from the Emperor. "I am _not_ the Imperial Army, and we are not here to provoke conflict with Mandalore. Instead we come as allies. I must speak with her highness."

The person on the other end, someone she recognised vaguely as a member of the Duchess's court, paused. Looked to the side with an awkward grimace.

"The Duchess Satine is not – " he fumbled for the right word. "Holding court. She is in mourning."

"Obi-Wan," Padmé whispered softly to the side, sharing a troubled glance with Anakin. He nodded her to go on, they would solve that particular problem shortly.

"Nevertheless," Padmé turned back to the screen. "I must speak with her. Myself and my entourage will make planetfall shortly if we can be assured of our safety. We only want to talk."

The Mandalorian looked away and sighed. "You can try. We won't shoot," he promised. "But I make no guarantees over a meeting with the Duchess. She hasn't emerged in more than a week."

"Thank you," Padmé left it at that and closed the com channel.

"Let's go," she began walking toward the turbolift, knowing by the slight swish of a cloak brushing the gleaming floor that her husband was following.

The sound of beeping was accompanied by the First Officer declaring "The _Negotiator_ just dropped out of hyperspace," to the Admiral.

"Tell Obi-Wan we have clearance and to join us on the surface immediately," was Anakin's final instruction just as he was stepping into the turbolift on the way down to the hanger bays.

He and Padmé touched down on Mandalore mere seconds ahead of Obi-Wan's shuttle, and just behind Ahsoka's. Three more of their ships had followed from Tatooine and now joined their carrier group in orbit, with many more to come.

A rather angry looking Prime Minster was waiting to greet them.

"What is the meaning of this invasion?" he demanded.

"It's no invasion," Padmé quickly pacified, taking the lead as both Anakin and Obi-Wan fell into step behind her. Guardians, not leaders. "I must speak with the Duchess."

"Master," Ahsoka came up behind him on quiet feet, falling into old habits as she unobtrusively took in their surroundings and kept her voice low. "Something doesn't feel right here. It's too quiet."

"I agree," Anakin murmured.

"We should investigate," Ahsoka continued to study the abandoned landing platform with sharp eyes.

"Do it, discreetly," Anakin advised. "I stay with Padmé."

"Yes Master," she didn't even realise she had returned to her former self, slipping away as Anakin tuned back in to his wife's conversation with the outraged Prime Minister.

"Not an invasion?!" he squawked in disbelief. "There are four Imperial Cruisers in low orbit above us."

"And more to come," Padmé didn't believe in keeping secrets. "But we're not here to attack, and we are _not_ Imperial. Please, I must speak to Duchess Satine immediately. There is much to be done."

The Prime Minister's eyes narrowed at her.

"Fine," he waved them forward, onto one of the landing transports. "Though I doubt she will grant you an audience. As I mentioned before, she is in mourning."

Padmé shot a pointed look at Obi-Wan over her shoulder. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked distressed as they walked forward onto the rapid ground transport.

"Not for long," Padmé murmured under her breath to Anakin.

His hand touched her back as they took off with a quick jerk and sped through the once lively city. Things were sombre, quiet. People were not out on the streets.

"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked in confusion.

"The Empire. People are afraid," The Prime Minister explained the deathly silence as they sped through unimpeded. "Duchess Satine is so distraught herself she has not been able to face them, to provide assurance."

Anakin frowned too. The silent emptiness in such a populated metropolis was disturbing, the towering buildings no longer the hive of life he'd come to expect of this city.

They entered the deathly silence of the palace with echoing footsteps. He could feel the suspicious gaze of Satine's personal royal guard, the security staff monitoring their every move through sensors.

A member of the court came forward and bowed solemnly.

"I'm sorry Prime Minister but the Duchess is not receiving anyone today."

"Please," Padmé stepped around the Prime Minister to address the court official directly. "Would you tell her that Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are here to see her. She can refuse us if she wishes but I hope she will welcome our visit."

He bowed and backed away, but she could tell he didn't think their names would evince any change in the Duchess's demeanour.

* * *

Satine was in mourning but not brain dead. She had been brought the technical readouts, knew that there was a litany of ships beginning to mass over her capital planet, directly above her palace. Mandalore had no capacity for any war, let alone battling against the full-scale fleet that surrounded them.

All she had were her words. So despite her broken heart, and the aching that tore her apart to think of Obi-Wan's light gone from the universe, she had summoned her aides. Now, her handmaidens were assisting her to dress for the first time in days, so she could meet their envoy. She hadn't been told who it was, only that they claimed not to be Imperial.

Like death she approached the throne room where they had gained admittance, briefly glancing to the security cameras before she entered. Her friend Padmé. Satine startled at the sight of her, knowing that Palpatine had declared her guilty of treason and that a warrant for her arrest was now in force. Satine glanced to her Chief of Security in disbelief.

"Padmé is the one with a fleet of ships?" she confirmed.

"Yes milady," came the sure reply.

Satine's eyes moved back to the monitor to study the small envoy as they milled in her throne room, waiting. Staunchly protective by her side stood Anakin Skywalker.

"A Jedi," she whispered in soft surprise. "I thought they'd all been killed."

Before hope could even set a seed in her heart her eyes moved to the third of their party. A ghost. Her heart squeezed tight, then began pounding in great blasts within her chest. Tears rushed to her eyes, clouded her vision.

As best she could in her ceremonial dress she suddenly sprang forward, over-taking her guards and pushing open the doors to the grand throne room herself.

Three sets of eyes turned her way eagerly.

She ran, as hard as she ever had in her life. "Obi," she cried out in agony, now crying too hard to even see. Without a doubt in her heart she flung herself into his arms and let him catch her.

"Satine," he murmured softly.

"You're alive," she somehow managed to say through her gasping sobs, winding her arms around his neck and hugging him in desperation.

"Yes," his hand splayed against her back and then she found him pulling back, cradling the base of her neck with his gentle palm so he could look directly into her eyes. "My Commander had a plan in place to rescue me when it happened, we've been in hiding ever since."

"I thought –"she couldn't finish the sentence as she pressed her fingers into his soft hair, tugged him down and crushed her mouth to his.

Obi-Wan was momentarily surprised but did not recoil. His hand gently moved to caress her shoulder and for the first time in more than fifteen years he kissed her back. Hard. No hesitation, no doubt, no regret. Just unabated hunger.

"Told you," Anakin folded his arms as the scene unfolded before him. Then he looked smugly to Padmé, so pleased to be right. She had clasped her hands together and was holding them to her chest, a beaming smile on her face.

"We should give them some privacy," Padmé turned and headed for one of the grand windows.

"I think our baby would like a playmate," he mused as he followed her with a sauntered stride. He propped himself up against the windowframe and didn't even pretend to look out. "How long do you think it will take them –?"

"Anakin," she hissed softly to get him to stop his highly inappropriate musings.

"What?" he asked indignantly, though a big grin covered his face. They both knew how pleased he was for his master. Now he did turn, looking out the ancient transparisteel as she did to the city beyond. "I don't want them to wait too long, or there will be a big age gap."

Padmé lowered her tone and couldn't help smiling herself. "Let them get a little reacquainted with one another first," she laughed quietly.

Anakin grinned. Watched her as she leant on the windowsill. Reached out his hand and ran the backs of his fingers down her bared neck. The two of them stood there for some time while the rest of the courtroom also found reasons to politely turn away, leaving the lovers to themselves. The soft murmured promises of Obi-Wan and his Duchess continued behind their backs, interspersed with long periods of silence. A quick glance told Anakin the silence meant they were kissing. Passionately.

He darted his eyes back to Padmé. "We don't have all day for them to do this."

She looked to him with a knowing grin. "Don't be so impatient," she chided, reaching up to cover his hand with her own. "We're no different when you come home."

"Yes but we don't do it with a waiting audience," he grumbled.

They said nothing more until, at the ten minute mark he'd had enough. Before Padmé could stop him he cleared his throat, pointedly and loudly. The sound echoed through the massive chamber. She pinched his arm in punishing disapproval but he turned back to the reuniting lovers with determination.

Obi-Wan and the Duchess had their foreheads pressed together. They both turned their faces and nothing more to look towards him.

"Anakin, we're busy here," Obi-Wan reprimanded with the grouchy look his padawan was very familiar with. This time it was partially distracted in a way Anakin had never seen before.

"Meanwhile –" Anakin began only to be interrupted by Padmé stepping around him and cutting him off.

"Unfortunately time is running short," she said more softly. "We came here because we need your help."

"And Obi-Wan has something to ask you," Anakin meaningfully glared at his friend.

"We'll get to that," Padmé gripped Anakin's arm in an unspoken signal to quiet and let her take this one.

The Duchess, who had only had eyes for Obi-Wan until now, caught the movement. Then she truly saw her ally and her eyes widened. She straightened in Obi-Wan's arms. She didn't leave the Jedi's intimate embrace but she did address her friend in surprise.

"Padmé you're pregnant! How wonderful!" Then her knowing blue eyes followed Padmé's hand to where it rested on Anakin's forearm.

Anakin did not move, letting the realisation come upon the Duchess and not flinching under her assessing gaze.

"How can this be?" Satine was stunned into a single short sentence. "I thought the Jedi –?" she looked to Obi-Wan for confirmation of everything she'd believed for so long. "Were forbidden attachments?"

His hand slid down her back until his fingers laced with hers. "They are," he confirmed with a squeeze. Then turned his pointed, narrowed eyes on his apprentice until his beloved's gaze followed. "In this, as in many things, Anakin has decided to make up the rules as he goes along."

"For which," Anakin began arrogantly, lowering his hand to once more claim that which was his. "I am married to the woman I love with a baby on the way." He flicked his black glove in Obi-Wan's direction. "I have advised him to take a similar path. You might have to provide some assistance there, he's quite stubborn," he intimately advised the Mandalorian leader.

She turned her tear-filled blue eyes back to Obi-Wan's and they were filled with desperate hope.

"Satine." He said her name with single purpose. A warning, against all the things that would work to keep them from one another.

Her fingers clamped his face and she looked dead-on into his eyes.

"If I am to mourn as your widow a third time then I will be your wife first," she told him with strength and passionate resolve.

Padmé smiled. Anakin grinned. Obi-Wan was shell-shocked but then finally leaned forward and took her mouth in another soft kiss.

"Good," Satine pronounced when he broke away.

"Milady is the need for an heir pressing?" Anakin teased his old master with a single highly inappropriate question to the representative of a long and proud dynasty.

"One day soon, but not today Master Skywalker," she retorted even while Obi-Wan was flushing a deep outraged shade of red behind his beard. "You said you needed my help."

With Obi-Wan's hand tucked firmly into hers the tall wisp of a woman made for her throne.

"Yes," Padmé took over. "We three, a large number of outlawed Jedi and four hundred thousand troopers defected from the Grand Army of the Republic one week ago. In that time the Republic has fallen and a Sith Lord has taken up an Emperorship. We intend to stop him."

"A coup?" Satine asked in surprise as she took her throne.

She let go Obi-Wan's hand but a silent look passed between them. He took up position behind her right shoulder. Body-guard, protector, loyal supporter. The position of her closest confidant and adviser. Looking out over her court, not a part of it.

"Not if we can help it," Padmé seated herself in a chair that was hastily brought forward for the Royal visitor. Anakin preferred to remain standing and took to his own woman's shoulder in a protective stance. On alert, feelings stretched out, hands clasped behind his back with his saber ready to ignite.

Just because they were in the presence of a friend didn't mean he thought they were safe.

"Military might won't solve the problems the Republic has suffered under for so long," Padmé shared.

"I agree," Satine decreed. "Peace is the only way to move forward."

"We're of the same mind there," Padmé smiled knowingly at her friend. "Fear, corruption, favouritism, these are the enemies we must fight against."

Pretending not to hear an annoyed Captain Rex behind her and muttering "why is it always 'peace' with these two?"

The Duchess titled her head. "What do you have in mind? You came here for a reason after all. How can Mandalore assist?"

Every pair of Republic eyes shifted over her shoulder to Obi-Wan. The Duchess too, turned to look at the man she had only just realised returned the love she felt with every fibre of her being.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, found the words wouldn't come, and cleared his throat again.

"Padmé feels this is a war of propaganda," he began

Rather stupidly, in Anakin's opinion.

"This isn't about Padmé," he piped up, glaring at his friend. Silently telling him to be a man, and admit the feelings he had denied all his life.

"The Emperor certainly thinks she's a key component," Obi-Wan shot back, finding safety in this familiar territory of sparring with Anakin.

"Not in this," Anakin countered.

"You two have said so yourselves!"

"Peace between the Republic, the Separatists and the Neutral systems is key," Padmé took up the reins and steered them back on course. "The Republic Senate must reconcile with the Jedi – "

Anakin's hand reached out to squeeze her shoulder meaningfully, demonstrating just how that reconciliation would be portrayed to the people.

"And the Jedi must be seen to serve the galaxy, not just the whims of the Senate."

Satine slowly turned her gaze from Padmé towards Obi-Wan, understanding everything.

"You want me to stand by your side, to prove the Jedi have no affiliation to the Republic?" she asked carefully, her tone neutral in a way Obi-Wan vastly distrusted.

Making an announcement that stunned the quiet onlookers who had expected Mandalore to remain neutral of everything, including the Jedi.

"No. I want you to marry me because I love you," Obi-Wan didn't dance around it this time, for the first time declaring to the woman he loved what their futures would hold. "And it no longer serves either of us to be apart. Padmé's propaganda war is a bonus." He lowered his head beside hers and said softly "I would like to be your husband _without_ the entire Imperial Navy set on my destruction."

"Hmmph," the Duchess looked displeased. "You will not bring your war to Mandalore," she warned him.

"Only myself," he quietly assured.

"Though the Separatist fleet is massing not far from here," Anakin chimed in, reminding them all of their true purpose.

"I know," the Duchess surprised them all. "And I know why." She flicked her hand and the chief of Security disappeared, coming back with a holodisk that he quickly handed over to his leader.

She activated it and an image of hundreds of ships appeared, slowly rotating.

"They plan to attack Coruscant," she got straight to the point. "We captured a small party of scouts that had unknowingly landed on the grounds of my Winter Palace. When we analysed their data banks we found a final fail-safe command, for when the Generals had all been destroyed."

Padmé was frowning, watching the ships cluster together in formation though they had no command, no leader. "That makes no sense," she protested. "Why would the Emperor stage an attack on himself, once he'd finally proved to the people that he was all powerful? This can only make him seem weak."

"He didn't," Satine shut off the recording and looked to her with disgust. "It was Dooku. He did it without Palpatine knowing. Those droids carry a lot of useful data once you start unpacking it."

"The apprentice always betrays the Master," Obi-Wan murmured, his fingers disappearing into the short auburn hairs of his beard. "It is the way of the Sith."

The Duchess's fingers reached up and brushed them away. "How attached are you to this beard?" she murmured thoughtfully, stroking along the jawbone beneath with her thumb.

"Quite," he said firmly. He remembered her words from the last time they'd met. That it hid too much of his handsome face.

He may have confessed he loved her. Would be with her. He would _not_ shave off his beard for her. "It stays," he decreed without room for argument.

"We'll see," she said softly and turned back to the other guests.

"We must stop them," Padmé was already getting to her feet.

"They're waiting for the entire fleet," Satine revealed. "Once they're all here they will jump together and attack the capital en masse. From the tactical information we were able to obtain, it looks like there are still a few droid carriers that were beyond the Outer Rim, and did not receive the message of General Grevious' death. These stragglers are who they await."

"So it's possible we could destroy them here, before they move on to Coruscant," Anakin was hopeful, already planning, wondering how long it would take for their own fleet to finish arriving.

"No, that is not possible," the Duchess of Mandalore stood.

"Why?" Anakin demanded.

"You cannot fire a shot in Mandalorian territory."

His jaw set. "The entire droid army is going to attack Coruscant and you won't let us stop them because of some treaty?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan warned.

"No master, that's ridiculous! It's politics for no good reason."

"On the contrary, it's for a very good reason," the haughty Duchess snapped back. "We have no army, no weapons here. Politics is the _only_ way we have kept your war from our territory."

"Satine is right," Padmé jumped in. Anakin turned an angry glare on her only to find her soothing reassurance of "as crazy as it may sound."

"People will die if there is a second battle of Coruscant," he warned her.

"We have a head start," she prompted him. "We know they're coming."

"The Imperial Navy doesn't," he retorted. "They're spread across the galaxy, carrying the Emperor's _goodwill_ ," he spat the word, knowing that it meant the Republic's own systems were being threatened if they did not fall into line. "And we just laid a trap to get the remainder out of our hair. They're on their way to Tatooine."

"Which means Coruscant will need a saviour. A hero."

She turned to Satine with a cunning smile on her face. "One with no fear."

Anakin stiffened at the words. Knowing what news reporters had taken to calling him.

"Our fleet isn't big enough to take on the entire droid army," Obi-Wan intruded on the women's plans.

"We don't need to be," Anakin said slowly. "The Imperial Navy is spread but a chunk of it will be in the shipyards for repair or orbiting Coruscant."

Padmé's eyes had lit with a passionate fire.

"We'll work together," she said in soft realisation.

"Yes," Anakin affirmed.

"It still won't be enough," Obi-Wan shook his head. "There are too many of them."

Silence fell.

"We don't need to stop them all," Anakin finally decided. "Obi-Wan, do you remember Iago?"

Padmé remained perfectly still but Anakin felt her tremor of recognition, shiver at the reference to the world with its thousand moons. The Angels of such famed ethereal beauty. Anakin's once innocent question if she was one of them.

She felt the brush of the Force against her belly and knew he was thinking of it too.

"That boy," Obi-Wan slowly recalled.

"Yes, Jaybo. He had reprogrammed the Separatist's abandoned junk with a macro protocol. Battle droids, vulture droids, droideaks, everything so that they were doing nothing more than waving fans to keep him cool, swinging his hammock, bringing him drinks. The entire set was totally useless."

"Do you think you could do the same?" Obi-Wan followed where he was going with this.

"I don't know. They'd need to power down first, so the new programming would replace the old."

Obi-Wan's chin dropped so he was looking directly into Satine's crystal sharp eyes. "Did the captured droids give you any clue as to when they will all have arrived? When they will jump for Coruscant?"

"A day, perhaps two," the Duchess knew immediately.

"That's not much time. I need to start creating the program," Anakin nodded quickly.

Padmé stood abruptly. "And I need to contact my friends in the Senate. This will be delicate but if we handle it properly then we can turn this assault against Palpatine and end this dictatorship for good."

The eager couple were already moving swiftly for the exit, Captain Rex and his men following behind.

Obi-Wan took a step forward to follow them when a clear melodic voice rang out across the room.

"Obi-Wan," Satine decreed, "Will be staying here tonight."

Their steps paused. Obi-Wan was frozen, with clearly no idea of what to do.

Anakin's face was twisting into a wicked smile.

Padmé gave a firm nod, a quiet "very well. We'll see you in the morning," and resumed her exit.

Her husband followed quickly in her wake but sent a final triumphant smile Obi-Wan's way, as they left his master to the Duchess of Mandalore's tender mercies.

"He is in for a goooood night," Anakin chortled as they stepped onto the rapid ground transport and it shot out from the Royal Palace towards the landing pad.

"Anakin," Padmé warned quietly. She yelped as she was spun into his arms and he leaned down.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and her eyelids fluttered closed as Anakin's mouth pressed to the base of her neck.

"It's an 'I missed you' night," he kissed her there, fingers worming to the centre of her back. "And they are always." His lips touched the centre of her delicate throat. "Good." He moved beneath her ear and opened his mouth, pressing a longer hot kiss. "Nights."

She whimpered, from his mouth and from the illusion to the many 'I missed you' nights of her own. When he came home after a mission and they rarely made it to a bed. That saw them get no sleep. That lasted well into the evening and past the dawn. Even now she could picture her fingers sliding under his clothes, baring him, desperately eager to get to his ripped muscles and firm bronze skin so she could put her mouth on him.

Anakin's darkened eyes were studying her and he leaned down again. Padmé's fingers threaded through his messy hair and pulled him close to her. Their mouths teased briefly, sweet delay to the inevitable while their noses brushed. Then they each pressed forward and kissed, hungry and eager to taste one another while the wind whipped around them, speeding through the terrified city towards their shuttle.

Neither noticed when they arrived, Padmé now totally engulfed in Anakin's cloak and their soft kisses a bubble from the rest of the world.

"General," Captain Rex prompted awkwardly with no response whatsoever.

In fact Anakin's arms seemed to embrace her even more deeply until she disappeared altogether.

"Lady Skywalker," he chided more loudly.

Padmé startled, pulled back the little Anakin would allow and panted for desperate breath.

"This macro protocol, how long will it take to write?" she asked, gazing into her beloved's eyes with unsated and growing desire. Her fingertips trailed the edge of his sharp jaw in contemplation, anticipation, refusing to let him move away from her.

"It can wait an hour. Or two," Anakin promised, his mind incapable of doing anything so complex as reprogramming a fleet of droids until his growing desperation to take her was satisfied.

Padmé nodded eagerly, kissed his jaw, grabbed his hand and escaped from his embrace. She made quickly for the shuttle with her protectors hurrying to catch up.

When they arrived onboard the _Saviour_ ten minutes later Captain Rex was given a final firm order of "Do NOT. Com me," before the General and Lady Skywalker strode meaningfully toward the officer's quarters.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why do you do that?" Obi-Wan asked as the Senator and the Duchess disappeared into the war room.

"Do what?" Anakin asked, wandering up to his side.

"Touch her stomach? It's not going anywhere, at least, not yet."

Anakin looked out to the giant ball below them, an untouched Mandalore, unable to meet his friend's inquisitive gaze.

"You've lived these past three years without touching her every five seconds. What's changed?"

For a moment only the background hum of a busy operations centre filled the void.

"More than half the remaining Jedi were killed. We've both been declared enemies of the Republic," Anakin offered two very plausible solutions.

Obi-Wan didn't believe him on either one. His silence in response showed that, telling Anakin that he should try again.

"I hope you never know the agony of dreaming your wife's death," the young man said quietly. "To go from the joy of discovering you will be a father, to the misery of knowing your love has granted her an agonising end. I would wish it on no one." He turned his head to Obi-Wan, his eyes dark with a pain so foreign Obi-Wan reeled. "She will live," he said firmly. "I have foreseen it but only after Captain Rex and his men rescued me. For those first three months –" he stopped and shook his head, feeling his chest clench again as he remembered.

He swallowed, trying to breathe and push away the image of Padmé screaming while her body was ripped apart. Struggling as his fingers flared with need to run over the living swell again.

"For a short time I dreaded our child and our future. Now that won't happen, I intend to enjoy every moment we have," Anakin softly concluded.

Obi-Wan was staring at his old Padawan in abject horror. He'd known none of this.

"Anakin," he began, wanting to offer comfort but not even knowing how.

"Our baby is a blessing," Anakin had somehow buried the agony and was now looking at Obi-Wan with determination. "Padmé won't die in this quest but if I do, if I never get the chance to hold our baby, then at least I will have taken every opportunity to make her understand," he looked to the room where she even now plotted to take back the Republic. "How much I wanted it."

"You will get the chance to know your child," Obi-Wan reassured, firm in this. At the same time astounded by Anakin's calm acceptance of his dark fate.

"I intend to try."

* * *

"I won't be coming with you," the Duchess was quite clear. "I will follow on the Coronet."

"Your unarmed Royal Yacht? We are going into a war zone," Obi-Wan calmly pointed out.

"A war Mandalore is not a part of," she reminded him with that haughty arrogance that made his heart warm. "And it will stay that way."

"Then stay. Here."

"I need her in the Senate," Padmé looked up, away from the plans she and Anakin were studying to remind them of the quite specific role the Duchess needed to play.

"You can do it alone," Obi-Wan told Padmé.

"No, I can't. Alone I'm a disaffected ex-Senator who is leading a well-armed Rebellion. Even my closest supporters will be forced to disavow me as a traitor. "

"Together we are strong," Duchess Satine supported her. "Voices for peace."

"Together you are vulnerable," Obi-Wan corrected.

"Palpatine's victims need to be given a voice," Padmé said angrily. "And they will have mine."

"And mine," Satine chimed in.

"Anakin, would you help me please?" Obi-Wan asked in exasperation, looking to where Anakin had crossed his arms over his broad chest and was watching the exchange in silence.

"Sorry Obi-Wan. I only fight battles I know I can win. C'mon R2."

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"Maintenance bay," Anakin began walking towards the door, a cheery whistle emerging from the blue droid who whizzed around the table to follow after him.

"Why?" Obi-Wan pressed, suspicious.

"R2's sensors are out of alignment."

R2 beeped a somewhat indignant response which prompted a head nod from his master.

"Yes, my sensors are out of alignment too."

" _Your_ sensors?" Satine asked in astonishment.

Anakin held up his arm and wiggled his fingers in the black leather glove.

"I don't understand," she looked at the tall blonde Jedi, then looked to his petite wife for a more verbose explanation.

"Anakin's right hand was lost in a battle," Padmé was clearer. "He has upgraded the replacement, a number of times, with R2's assistance."

"And it needs maintenance," Anakin chimed in. "So if you'll excuse us," he disappeared into the corridor and the small droid followed with chipper beeping to which Anakin responded "yes we can do it now. Anything to get out of that debate."

An hour later she had a trooper point her to the maintenance bay, a cavernous room filled with spare droid parts of every kind. It was quiet except for one unseen corner where a constant back and forth of chatter flowed, Anakin's words answered with R2's beeps, accompanied by a constant undertone of the small sparks associated with low grade welding.

She was surprised when she happened upon them to see that R2 was _not_ the one being worked on. Anakin was perched on a stool with his arm stretched out on the work table, three of R2's long mechanical appendages outstretched into the fine machinery, shifting with precise movements. The occasional flash of light indicated this wasn't just a checkup, the two of them were definitely modifying something again.

"Oh," she voiced her mild surprise as she appeared from between the shelves.

Anakin's head was already tilted slightly in her direction, he briefly looked up to smile at her in greeting.

"What's the verdict?" he asked, looking back down to his arm and pointing to the base of his thumb. R2 squawked an indignant sound, insulted that Anakin thought he couldn't see the miniscule fray in the wiring.

"The Duchess will travel to Coruscant on the Coronet. It will be escorted by the _Negotiator_ and as soon as she drops out of hyperspace two of Obi-Wan's fighter squadrons will launch as protection, accompanying her until she makes planetfall. At that point she will rendezvous with Ahsoka and I."

She pulled up a stool and settled across from him, on the other side of the high work bench. Her gaze followed his and she surveyed the intricate layout of partially disassembled machinery.

"I thought you were just making an excuse to get away," she assessed it curiously.

"It occurred to me that I might not be feeling the baby kick because I can't actually feel properly."

R2 pulled away briefly, reached to a cache of spare parts off to one side, selected a delicate filament and held it up for inspection with a questioning whistle.

Anakin inspected it visually then asked "Is there anything finer?"

R2 rolled away, disappearing into the racks of shelving for a moment before beeping a loud affirmative. "How many microns?" Anakin wanted to know. Two short beeps. "Yes, that sounds good."

The blue droid popped up again and began integrating the fine wire into the circuitry. Anakin's attention returned to Padmé.

"One of the sensors was slightly out of alignment, and see there," he indicated with the tip of his pinky to where R2 had just finished soldering the new filament in. Her eyes followed with interest, nodding when she saw the contact point. "There are three joints that sustain most of the pressure when I use my lighstaber. On that one most of the essential wiring was starting to fray."

He withdrew his pointing finger as R2 moved in with pincers to remove the next piece of degraded circuitry.

"It's lucky you're here R2," she noted, glancing up at the blue droid who wheedled proudly and kept working, a small spark flying before he replaced the plate covering of Anakin's thumb.

"And I was making an excuse to get away," bright blue eyes twinkled at her with a roguish cleverness.

"Yes, Obi-Wan is probably wishing for an excuse of his own." She watched quietly for a few minutes and then ventured to ask "do you have any doubts about _me_ landing on Coruscant?"

"No," he cocked his head and looked to her questioningly. "Why would I?"

"You're not afraid?"

He blinked lazily, smile growing as he admitted "I've had three years to get used to it. Besides, you follow your instincts, you're a great shot with a blaster and unlike the Duchess, you have no qualms about firing when necessary. You will have Captain Rex and his men with you, plus Ahsoka," he shrugged. "I doubt the politicians will put up much of a fight."

He tilted his head then, concentrating on R2's work. "I've seen you on that Senate floor. Without a Sith Lord to hold you back," his eyes turned glittery again. "You'll destroy the government. I wish I could be there to watch."

"Not destroy, rebuild," she corrected.

Anakin looked up at her smugly. "Whatever works."

R2 was now carefully piecing his hand back together.

"I will find a diplomatic solution," she promised them both, though still a little charmed by his utter distaste for politics.

She stood, rounded the table to his side and took his hand up just as R2 finished.

Running her index finger up the thin plating that comprised the curved palm she enquired "Can you feel now?"

He bit his lip, restraining himself as he felt her fingernail pass over every miniscule sensor. When she reached his wrist he curled his reassembled hand, both of them hearing the slight whir of servomotors in the otherwise silent room. His fingers each individually contracted up until they cupped around the back of her hand and captured her. Both their eyes enraptured by the sight until Anakin raised his head and looked directly at her.

"I feel everything."

Without putting his glove on he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, slowly drawing it to his lips. Padmé physically shuddered. It was brief, but he felt it and savoured her reaction to him. Her long elegant fingers curled around his own, the taunting of near-ecstasy subtly teasing him in the force.

"Poor Obi-Wan," he murmured into the intimate quiet.

"Yes," Padmé whispered, reached up and drew her fingers down his temple. "He doesn't get this for many years to come."

And he wouldn't, the intimacy of such a connection had grown from the heat at the beginning into this long smouldering burn.

They were alone for some time in the maintenance bay, savouring one another until the ship suddenly rocked.

Padmé hurried to get to her feet as a horn started blaring. A split second later Anakin's arm began beeping and he touched his com.

"Report," he urged.

"An Imperial destroyer just dropped out of hyperspace and they're firing on us."

"I was afraid of this," it was Padmé who responded to the hurried words and turned for the door.

"We cannot fire back," the clone trooper reported back. "Without killing our own brothers."

"No," Anakin agreed. "Padmé and I will be up shortly."

They'd raised shields and taken two more hits by the time they made it to the communications room.

"There's an incoming transmission," Yularen was touching a button and they all stood back from the projector as General Tarkin appeared.

His beady eyes travelled straight to Padmé. Her shoulders straightened so she stood tall but otherwise didn't flinch.

"Senator Amidala, you are a traitor to the Empire and a terrorist. Surrender now and we will spare your ships and their men."

Anakin stepped into the recording, solid at her back. "Don't do this General Tarkin," he advised sternly. "You're playing with fire."

Tarkin looked surprised to see him. "General Skywalker. We assumed you were dead. The Emperor will reward me most handsomely for bringing both of you in alive. And it is _Admiral_ Tarkin now."

"We won't surrender," Anakin folded his arms in defiance.

"Then I shall be forced to destroy you."

Obi-Wan was behind the Imperial broadcast and out of sight. He softly issued an order to target their main laser cannon and take it out.

Tarkin's transmission flickered as the shot hit home.

Anakin's features twisted into a mocking grin. "We're not defenceless," he warned.

"We don't want to fight," Padmé tried to cease hostilities, to de-escalate the situation and find a diplomatic solution. "These are good men."

"They're harbouring fugitives, the pair of you have committed the worst kind of treason," he argued back angrily.

"No," she rebuffed. "These men defied their programming to save the man who had put his life on the line for theirs so many times. Surely you haven't risen to Admiral without appreciating that war changes people, makes them think differently."

Tarkin paused.

"I've also learned to do whatever it takes." He turned his head slightly to issue an order to a commander. "Launch the bombers," he said calmly. "If she won't come quietly then perhaps the destruction of her friend the Duchess of Mandalore and the entire city of Sandoon will make her more willing." He looked back at Padmé. "All those innocent lives," he taunted her. "Destroy them Captain," an order to his own men.

"No!" Satine lurched forward in horror.

Obi-Wan tried to reach for her shoulder and stop her but it was too late.

"Mandalore is peaceful, we have no weapons. Destroying my people achieves nothing!"

"Duchess Satine," he greeted in slimy satisfaction.

"Conspiring with a traitor and the last of the Jedi," he shook his head mockingly. "This does not bode well for you. Not at all."

Obi-Wan stepped forward now and sternly taunted back " _Not_ the last of the Jedi."

At his appearance Tarkin seemed to pause momentarily. Anakin Skywalker surviving was within the realm of possibility. He was stubborn and reckless, he'd proved his abilities many times over the war.

Obi-Wan Kenobi represented something else entirely. The strength of the ruling council, the might of the Jedi order. Where there were 2, there was the possibility for many more.

For just a moment Tarkin paused to wonder if he had backed the losing side in this final remnant of the war. One Emperor. Two Jedi. And an army divided between that would battle itself into extinction.

Padmé's eyes widened as she caught sight of another monitor on a far wall, the Separatist ships they'd been monitoring all suddenly disappearing off their scopes.

"Captain," she turned her own head calmly. "Prepare the ship for lightspeed and set your coordinates for Coruscant."

"Milady," came the sputtered protest but she interrupted with a calm "Now."

She turned back to Tarkin, not passionate like Satine, stubborn like Anakin or stern like Obi-Wan, Padmé was calm and rationale. "You've no doubt discovered the entire Separatist fleet massing close by. They intend to destroy Coruscant, a final fail-safe instruction from Dooku. And they've all just jumped to hyperspace."

She didn't stop as all her companions whipped their heads around to confirm that, yes, the entire remnant fleet had suddenly disappeared.

"We intend to stop them. We would welcome a truce and your assistance. I don't think the Emperor will be pleased to find out his new Imperial Centre was destroyed by your negligence, because you were too busy obliterating the Mandalorian capital for no reason."

"Ready for lightspeed," Admiral Yularen relayed quietly. "Lady Skywalker."

"If you intend to capture us, you'll have to come too." Her final command was to her own steadfast loyal Admiral. "Make the jump," she then reached out a button and cut off the transmission.

She immediately turned to the Duchess. "I'm sorry but you'll have to come with us, we will re-negotiate the terms of the Mandalorian treaty once the Empire has fallen."

"But my people!" the Duchess protested.

"If he wants to find favour with the Emperor then he'll chase after the bigger prize. That's we four here."

The lines out the windows began to blur as they powered up and leapt towards Coruscant.

* * *

The hanger was a hive of activity with crews fuelling ships, pilots suiting up, troopers getting their final briefings. All the starfighters were preparing to launch the moment they fell out of hyperspace, the ground troops preparing to take flight in their troop carriers.

Anakin was standing next to one such troop carrier, palms pressed to Padmé's cheeks, foreheads touching.

"Live through this," she implored quietly, her hands coming up to cover his. "Come back to me."

"I will," he promised quietly. He leaned down a little further and kissed her softly. "Let Captain Rex protect you. Trust Ahsoka's feelings. Give your speech then get. Out." The last two words were enunciated firmly.

"I will."

They kissed lovingly, Padmé's fingers twining in his hair as she was swept away in the passionate kiss. His hands stroked her neck, his thumbs brushing her earlobes before they pulled away. He handed her up into the troop carrier, their eye contact not breaking.

Ahsoka followed up after her. "I am trusting you with everything," he instructed his ex-Padawan.

"She will live through this master."

Captain Rex and his team began piling in to fill the carrier.

"I'll protect her General," he promised. "We'll see you back here when it's all over."

"I look forward to it."

The Duchess Satine was handed up beside her, and then Obi-Wan came to stand by his side.

He looked Padmé in the eye as he gave her the only other protection he could. A benediction for her and their unborn child.

"May the Force be with you."

Her hand cupped around her fully revealed, heavily swollen middle. "My baby Jedi is," she promised in a breathy final word.

Anakin's worry broke into a familiar smile.

The _Saviour_ fell out of hyperspace and the door to the troop carrier slid shut, as did the doors on the multiple troop carriers lined up along this side of the hanger bay.

Anakin turned and ran for his own starfighter, Obi-Wan by his side.

The twin fighters burst free of the atmospheric shields. Anakin veered off to the left with a squadron of bombers behind him. Obi-Wan veered right, heading straight for the planet.

"Form up," Anakin commanded into his head set, aiming straight for the droid carrier before them.

The ship hadn't even had time to bring its laser cannons on line when his team began their first run.

"Aim for the weapons platforms," he ordered his team. "I'm going for the bridge."

They dropped an entire compliment of deadly explosives, decimating the craft's outer hull. He saw out of the corner of his eye as a dozen troop carriers burst free of the _Defiance_ and were quickly followed by a dozen more from the _Saviour_. Padmé's among them.

"Vulture droids," he heard a clone voice in his headset and looked up, focusing on his own present. The observation was correct, vulture droids were launching from a number of the Separatist ships and heading straight for them.

"Stick to the carriers," he advised his own team. "You're not manoeuvrable enough to take out all the vulture droids, and this battle won't be won if the carriers aren't destroyed."

He flicked channels and connected to the fighter squadrons just launching from the _Defiance's_ hanger bay. "We need a hand here," he called.

"Coming sir," a clone voice assured.

He flicked back channels and asked "Obi-Wan?"

"We're through the atmosphere, no followers," he reported.

"I'll join you shortly," Anakin promised, leading his squadron up for a second run on the same ship. One more button touch and he was talking to his own men. "Let's finish this one off," he completed the loop back and led from the front, firing everything he had into the shield generator. It flickered and then exploded outward, leaving the entire ship vulnerable. A well aimed torpedo and he watched in satisfaction as the second control tower was no more. His squadron followed and as the last bomb was dropped, the ship jerked and started to list sideways. Fire now raging at multiple points. It's laser cannons gone silent.

A series of whoops started up behind him.

"1 down, thirty to go," Anakin reminded them.

"We'll get those Seppies!" came a jubilant call back.

"I'm going to leave you boys to it," Anakin grinned at the arrogance. "While I take out their master. Good luck."

"Go get 'em sir," Came the enthusiastic reply.


	9. Chapter 9

Padmé held on as best she could, her troop carrier flying slower and in the middle of the clustered formation to protect it's prized passenger.

A team were suited up in armour, all slightly different with the hand drawn embellishments that marked their individuality.

"I go first," Captain Rex stood by her side, repeating the plan one more time. "Boyle is right behind you. Echo and Dogma flank either side. The rest of the squad fan out around us to lock down any threat. At the first sign of shooting –"

"I am getting out of the line of fire," Padmé finished for him.

"Affirmative," Captain Rex nodded once.

The transport swayed and she did too. Both Captain Rex and Echo immediately reached out a free hand to steady her shoulder.

"We'll need to travel up twenty levels in the turbolift and walk two kilometres within the open corridors to get to Naboo's pod," Padmé spelt out.

"I don't like it," Dogma piped up from nearby. "We're too exposed for too long."

"It's the only way," she turned to him, unable to see his eyes but knowing who had spoken.

"Can you walk that far? You're very pregnant, if you don't mind my saying," he quickly hurried to take any sting out of his words.

Still, she could feel the entire squad's eyes turning to her. She had changed from the comfortable outfit she picked up on Tatooine, to a custom design she'd had Threepio make up from the available stores on the ship. The uniform was originally that of a bridge officer in the Grand Republic Army, modified to fit her very round form. Polished black army boots that stretched to her knees. Tightly tailored black pants. A crisp grey tunic that hit mid thigh with long, sharp sleeves. Her hair formed into tight braids then pinned back from her face.

She couldn't get into trooper armour with her belly as big it was now. But this uniform she could wear, and in this uniform, she looked like she never had before. Dark, powerful, militaristic. Very clearly a leader of the hundreds of thousands of men she represented. With a fleet of their warships under her command. She was diplomacy's greatest advocate, but Anakin was right. Unlike Satine, she knew when it was time to stop talking, pull out a blaster and fire.

In this, she looked strangely sharp. Leader of the army faction who brought death yet obviously carrying new life. And she was powerful.

"Yes I can walk that far," she answered Dogma's question. "The more people that see me, with you, the better."

"Why?" Echo wanted to know.

"Four minutes!" the pilot called over the com. This time, Padmé had an earpiece and could keep up with the chatter. That meant she had four minutes in which to educate her team.

"Palpatine has spent years carefully manoeuvring himself into a position where he appears to want peace, but is also fierce enough to destroy all the bad things in the galaxy. He looks strong, yet compassionate. It's a very delicate balance. He's now painted me as an idealist gone crazy. In the image he paints I am only good at talking, so like a child who didn't get their way I have had a tantrum and turned to terrorism to achieve my goals. Something outside of normal society."

The ship rocked again and this time she held firm on her own.

"The people need to see me as strong, and they need to see your splinter faction of the army as compassionate. They need to trust us, want us to help remove the Emperor. If they see us walking confidently through the corridors as if we belong, as if we're not afraid, it will be the first step to that. Actions that will then be reinforced by words."

Those standing nearby nodded in understanding.

"Once we make it to the pod, _everyone_ boards. I don't want pot shots taken at her while she's out floating in the middle and we're waiting back at the dock. Got it?"

"Yes _sir_ ," came the firm reply.

"But kneel," Rex quantified. "Look up for danger. Let the Senators keep a clear eye on her. Focusing on us will _not_ help the main goal. Got it?"

"Yes _sir_ ," they repeated,

"Coming up on the Rotunda," the pilot announced.

They all braced, swooping in to a fast landing. The doors slid back and Captain Rex's men piled out under a firm "Go go go!" order.

Padmé didn't need special instructions. Captain Rex in front, Boyle behind, Echo and Dogma either side just like they'd planned. She needed help down from the transport. As soon as her feet touched the ground she took off at a stride. Setting the pace herself and letting her men match it, rather than the other way around.

This was a carefully choreographed exercise in public relations, as much as a military exercise.

She spared a glance to her left to see the Duchess unloading with her own team from another transport. They shared a single nod, then Padmé made her way inside. Firm steps striking a brisk rhythm against the marble floor.

She heard the gasps and whispers from staffers not attending the currently called session as they left the landing bays and made it into the Rotunda. She ignored them, striding confidently forward along the path she knew very well, not letting herself be deterred.

She was no terrorist, she was a leader and her team of bodyguards outnumbered even the Emperor's personal guard. Made her appear more valuable than the Emperor.

"Time," she demanded of Captain Rex, needing to know how long they had until the appointed moment when Bail would hijack the current debate and take the floor, ready for her to interrupt the session.

"Nine minutes and counting milady," came the crisp reply.

"Very good Captain," she didn't turn to look at him. Just kept walking. Noticed a holocam fly up alongside and start following them, definitely broadcasting to the outside world. She didn't even look at it, didn't let an ounce of her pleasure show.

It was working.

Getting away wasn't so easy. A squadron of vulture droids zeroed in on him and started firing, one clipping his right stabiliser. Glancing over at he frowned and asked "R2? Can you lock that down?"

R2 burbled a question and Anakin didn't have to look at the screen to understand it. "Yes I suppose we should."

Instead of racing straight for the planet he stalled, flipped about and began firing. In quick succession three of his pursers were obliterated and two more overshot him. He then fired his engines up and streaked after them. A torpedo fired at one, two shots at the other and both were gone.

"Alright R2, lets find Obi-Wan."

Fighters streaked past him in the opposite direction as he breached the atmosphere and headed straight for the Senate but none fired on him. All heading for the droid invasion force, none thinking to be concerned with what appeared to be one of their own.

"Diplomatic hammer has landed," came the broadcast announcement. "No casualties."

Padmé's mission code name. She'd made it to the Senate building.

"Let's hope Organa came through and managed to convene a session," only R2 heard him but the droid whistled affirmatively.

"Obi-Wan?" he asked into his headset.

"The Emperor is on lockdown in his office while the Senate building is being _invaded_ ," the last word was said with mirth. "Shall I meet you at the landing bay?"

"Two minutes," Anakin gave his arrival time.

They flashed through spacelanes, darting through the few bits of traffic undeterred by the battle occurring overhead. In two minutes he was slamming up into the Senate building's landing bays, R2 popping out with him. Nary a Senate guard to be seen.

He looked around suspiciously as he jogged up to meet Obi-Wan.

"No greeting party? I thought we were minimising casualties," he assumed they'd all been dealt with.

"Cody had his men set their blasters to stun," Obi-Wan assured. "The guards are being dragged into their locker room and sealed in. Out of the way but unharmed."

They swiftly made their way into the rotunda and immediately began making for the turbolifts.

"The Chancellor?" he continued the briefing.

"Awaiting us in his office." Obi-Wan was clipped and informative.

"Padmé?" he asked with a softer reverence.

"Bail Organa has the floor and is stalling as we speak. Anakin," Obi-Wan grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "Are you ready for this?"

"A Sith Lord? Didn't I take out Dooku?"

"Palpatine," Obi-Wan corrected. "He's your friend. This won't be like Dooku, you're never had to face someone you've known, trusted."

Anakin's face hardened, displeased as he pointed out "he attempted to destroy all Jedi, including you and me." He tugged free of Obi-Wan's grasp and started walking determinedly again. "Then he put a death sentence on Padmé's head. I'm ready."

"We take him together," Obi-Wan instructed as they stepped into the turbolift and R2 followed.

"If you can stay conscious long enough," Anakin teased as it began rising.

"I'll do my best," Obi-Wan played along.

"You ready R2?" Anakin checked as the lift stopped and the three of them got out on the topmost floor, heading straight for the Chancellor's office. R2 whistled affirmatively.

When they reached the doors they didn't hesitate. Anakin waved them open and strode calmly from the antechamber into the Emperor's office. The old man turned around, looking no different than he had mere days ago when the two had sat together at the opera.

"An-a-kin," he greeted warmly. "It's so good to see you alive my friend."

Obi-Wan strode in behind him.

"And, Obi-Wan Kenobi," his voice turned sour. "There is a bounty on your head, for the war crimes you've committed."

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan shrugged out of their cloaks, brown fabric falling to the floor in discarded pools. Anakin went left, Obi-Wan went right.

"Enough, Emperor Palpatine," Obi-Wan ordered. "In the name of the Jedi order and the Republic of combined star systems I place you under arrest."

"For what?" the Emperor taunted calmly. "Freeing the people from the hopelessly ineffective bureaucracy? Something they have already thanked me for, I assure you. Trying to help people is not a crime."

"Being a _Sith_ is," Anakin countered.

Palpatine's head titled. "I'm surprised at you Anakin. You, of all the Jedi, were always more willing to change and adapt. You know their dogma has never sat well with you."

"You are the Sith Lord," Anakin said it firmly. "You created this war to feed your own power. Millions of lives have been lost, billions have suffered –"

"And new beginnings have arisen as well," Palpatine countered. "To be a Sith is to be powerful. You can even – stop people you care about from dying."

The blonde Jedi's head tilted in surprise at the very specific reference. The way the Emperor was looking at him so pointedly. "You know of my dream," he realised.

Obi-Wan's lightsaber lit. The first time he'd ever beat Anakin to the coming fight.

"About Senator Amidala's death in her coming childbirth? Yes, a tragedy it will be. But the power of the Sith can prevent that future. Join me, and together –"

Anakin's green lightsaber sprung forth before the vile thought could be finished.

"I am a Jedi, Sworn to protect the Republic. And you, _Chancellor Palpatine_ , are under arrest for practising the dark powers of the Sith."

"So be it," the evil creature hissed. A red lightsaber ignited.

"Good luck," Satine entreated Padmé, her own platoon having caught up.

They nodded to one another in conviction, then Satine strode away surrounded by Commander Cody and his retinue of guardsmen to take up the Mandalorian Senate pod.

Her husband's ex-Padawan appeared as if from nowhere, slinking up by her side.

"All clear," she gestured to the doorway, having landed with an earlier team and already checked it for explosives.

Padmé took a deep breath and accompanied by Captain Rex and Ahsoka, strode into her own pod as, right on schedule, Bail Organa was finishing his speech. "I therefore think we must hear from a voice of reason in this debate. A tireless advocate for peace, someone who has experienced the destruction this Empire is already causing firsthand. I call on Senator Amidala of Naboo to address this assembly."

Gasps of surprise at the audacity of the Alderaanian Viceroy were only softened by the cries of shock when Padmé Amidala, Senator with a bounty on her head, an Imperial death sentence and a rumoured breakaway sect of the army under her control, suddenly appeared in the previously empty Naboo pod.

Looking like an army admiral.

At the touch of a button she was shooting out into the middle of the chamber.

"Friends, fellow Senators," she began. "We have all been betrayed."

Right on schedule a giant holo image filled the space. She sent a silent thank you to R2 as the figures now battling in the Chancellor's office appeared for everyone to see.

"Chancellor Palpatine," she deliberately used his previous title. "Is a Sith Lord. He has betrayed us all. He established both the Republic and Separatist armies, has controlled them both all this time, to make this body lose confidence in our ability to govern. He has destroyed the Jedi not because they have betrayed us, but because they were our peacekeepers. Our protectors. He wanted us to live in fear, to look to him for the solutions he always seemed to provide us. Now he seeks to destroy the heroes who have saved us all. He battles with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. And Anakin Skywalker."

The chamber watched in quiet horror as three lightsabers clashed. Palpatine seeming to take the advantage by throwing Obi-Wan against a wall with a blast of energy from his hand.

Padmé's horrified eyes darted to the Mandalorian pod where the Duchess's hand flew to her mouth.

No, Palpatine definitely was not a kind old politician.

"You don't need him Anakin," Palpatine continued to flatter. "You were the most powerful of them all. That is why I wanted you with me, as my apprentice," he made the dark offer.

"I'm too old to be an apprentice," Anakin said with all seriousness, raising his weapon and darting for the Chancellor's side only to be rebuffed. "And I was never a very good one anyway. Just ask Obi-Wan."

Forced back with a series of powerful, full on blows from the glowing red Sith blade.

"You still have much to learn," the Sith cackled. "So much I can teach you boy."

"My child nears," Anakin refused. "It's time for me to grow up, to teach, not learn."

The Sith came at him again and this time he fought the old man back, and for a moment managed to take the upper hand.

"Even now the Jedi have gathered what remnants of the army they could. Those that remained loyal, they are above us battling to protect Coruscant from the Separatist army Palpatine built but can no longer control. He has left us all vulnerable!"

She turned to Captain Rex and gestured. "I speak on behalf of the clone troopers who have stood for freedom, who remained loyal to the Republic even as Chancellor Palpatine tried to destroy it. They risked their lives to protect us."

The battling figures paused and she saw Anakin tossed back against a wall with a strong thrust of the force. Her heart seized and she begged her eyes to close but it would not happen. She dreaded the sight as she saw a maniacally grinning Palpatine stalk towards her husband. His lit lightsaber in his hand.

From out of nowhere Obi-Wan revived and his sword crossed the path.

She said a silent prayer of relief, swallowed and forced herself to keep talking. For the battle of lightsabers was not the only one that required winning.

"Naboo," she said with wavering emotion. "Is a peaceful world. We don't want an armed Imperial garrison of troops. We want to spend our resources funding schools, and hospitals, our artists and craftspeople. Not feeding and arming an Imperial Legion."

Her head turned directly to the cluster of corporate pods and her eyes narrowed accusingly.

"This Senate has stood for a millennia to represent the people. In the last two decades, under our watch, corporate interests have managed to weasel their way in and promote their own interests over those of the Republic citizens we represent. Corporate interests favoured by the Chancellor."

From memory she recited the list.

"The banking clan. The techno union. The trade federation. The Kamino cloners. While friends, peaceful systems, have left their pods empty. I did draft the petition calling for the removal of Chancellor Palpatine's emergency powers," she freely admitted. "But now I see I did not go far enough. I therefore put forward a motion to remove Palpatine's position from this government. To reinstate the Jedi as our peacekeepers. And to immediately expel all corporations from this august body. If you do not represent a system, a planet, or a people, then you. Do not. Belong."

The clashing of lightsabers, the heroes of the Republic battling the architect of its downfall, provided a grand back drop to her words. But she knew she had their attention. Because the room erupted with passionate fire, both for and against.

"Mandalore will second that motion," Satine's royal voice over-rode the querulous burbling in a clear, resounding echo that caused even more uproar. "And the two thousand neutral star systems will return to the Republic, once Palpatine's corrupt reign comes to an end!"

Padmé touched a button to turn off her microphone and turned to her companions. "Our work here is done," she informed them.

"Ahhh, unfortunately we're not," Ahsoka gestured to where the Senate guard had somehow freed themselves and were now massing, waiting to capture them when they returned to the docking port for Naboo's pod.

"Hmmm," Rex mused, looking around.

They all saw it, the Clone troopers beginning to mass at every pod's docking space.

"They're not ours, are they?" Padmé asked worriedly as she saw blasters raising to aim for her.

"No, duck!" Ahsoka cried as a volley of blaster fire came their way.

A rain of it.

"What do we do?" Padmé cried out as they all cowered inside the pod. "And what about the Duchess?"

Ahsoka dared to peak upwards, towards the Mandalorian pod, then ducked back down.

"Don't worry, she's ok, they're not aiming for her. I think Cody and his men are blending in, standing guard."

"Well at least we don't have to worry about that," Padmé began looking around frantically.

"But we do have to worry about us," came Rex's synthesised voice.

"All the side exits are blocked," Ahsoka assessed. "And down seems to be asking for trouble."

"Every exit from the bottom of the chamber has to come up into the Senate before you can get out," Padmé confirmed.

"Which means we're just as trapped if we try to escape through the pits. That only leaves," all their eyes raised to the ceiling as Ahsoka deduced "up."

Padmé drew back her sleeve to reveal a hidden com. She touched a button, their pod moving through the holoimage of Anakin's left arm as he fought for his life.

The baby kicked hard and she put her hand to soothe the little one. Her com flashed twice then connected and an image of Admiral Yularen perched on her hand.

"Lady Skywalker," he greeted briskly.

"Admiral we're trapped in the Senate rotunda and need to escape through the roof. Could you send a troop transport to assist?"

Yularen started.

"We would need to blow a hole in the roof and send troopers in via tow cable. Transports don't have enough fire power to do that, and no protection should someone choose to attack."

"Well we need to get out of here," Padmé was sounding worried as the pod rocked dangerously and Ahsoka closed her eyes.

"We just lost lift," she said quietly. "I'll have to hold it."

Padmé saw her concentrating, knew she was using the force to hold them steady. Having seen Anakin perform similar feats, she knew Ahsoka wouldn't be able to hold it for long.

"Admiral," Padmé urged.

"Oh I have served with General Skywalker far too long," Yularen muttered. "Yes alright, we're coming. Find cover. When that roof blows there will be significant debris."

The comlink cut off and Padmé chanced a glance upwards through the unending fire of laser bolts. A cacophony of noise filled the chamber as unarmed senators, confined to their pods, were panicking.

"Ahsoka, can you get us closer to the Duchess?" Padmé implored.

"I. Think, so," Ahsoka's words were stilted and she lifted her hands. Slowly, the pod began to rise to Mandalore's position.

"Padmé!" came Satine's falsely calm greeting as they approached. "So nice to see you."

"Satine," Padmé ducked as a rocket missed their pod by inches and exploded into the empty pod where her friend Mina Bonteri had once stood, long empty of her calming presence since her world had defected to the Separatists.

"My fiancé and your husband do not look to be doing _well_ ," Satine stressed and they both looked out to the blue-tinged holo figures, swords no more than flashes of light.

"Neither are we," Padmé reached to her thigh and withdrew the blaster Anakin had earlier secured there. "Yularen will evacuate us through the roof."

Satine's eyes raised upwards, grimaced, then nodded sternly.

"Tell Commander Cody to be ready, we'll need to move quickly."

The blonde woman turned to confer with her commander and he quickly relayed orders to his troops.

Rex's headset, plugged into the _Saviour_ communications, was the one to issue a loud order of "Take cover!" just a moment before a gaping hole blew out the roof of the Senate rotunda.

Pieces of steel, dust and duracrete sprayed everywhere, plummeting hundreds of metres to slam into the chamber's floor with deafening thuds.

Padmé looked up as the dust began to clear.

"Is that –?" Ahsoka was aghast at the sight the newly blown hold revealed.

"The _Saviour_ ," Padmé was just as stunned as they all looked up to see just a tiny fraction of the massive cruiser perched mere metres above the Senate rotunda's roof.

Clone troopers equipped with jetpacks began jumping from the open hanger bay doors, down through the blown hole and into the riotous chaos that was the Senate chamber. Their rifles were unholstered but no one fired.

Three landed in her pod, armed with a backpack full of ascension cables. She glanced over to see three more landing in Satine's pod and similarly arming her men. The Duchess took one of the long guns, made aim directly for the ship's inner hull and fired. Within seconds she was rising quickly away from the chaos as her cable retracted her into the safety of the _Saviour._ A platoon of Commander Cody's men rapidly following.

"Senator," Ahsoka began warily, watching as Padmé hesitantly took the gun Rex handed her.

All around her Rex's men began their escape.

Padmé touched her stomach, her very heavy stomach, and then reassessed their only means of escape. Ascension cables were fine when you were fit, had muscle tone and upper body strength like she had for most of her life. Right now she was front heavy, her back muscles were weak and she didn't know if her arms could support the weight of herself and the baby.

A volley of fire took out one of the troopers with a jet pack and he fell to his death.

She quickly shook her head at Ahsoka, and determinedly stood, aiming for the patch of the Saviour's inner hull she could see through the hole torn open in the ceiling. "There is no other way."

She shot out her ascension cable. Held on tight to protect her unborn child for this brief time. Hit the retraction button and flew up through Anakin's stumbling holo figure and into the safety of the ship's hull.

Only to land in the hanger bay, detach her cable, and bend over in utter agony as the muscles in her back contracted hard.

"Padmé?!" Satine came rushing to her side.

Padmé looked up in horror as her friends surrounded her, first Ahsoka then Captain Rex. "I think the baby's coming."

The ship's hanger bay doors started to close and the might of the _Saviour_ began rising, fleeing the scene of the disintegrating Senate and returning to aid in the space battle above with the Separatists.

"Give up my boy, you can't win," the Sith Lord offered Anakin as they again broke away.

Anakin pouring with sweat, the Sith Lord barely looking taxed.

"Never," he hissed.

Obi-Wan was approaching silently from behind their enemy but Palpatine sensed it and turned, lightning shooting from his fingertips. Obi-Wan caught it with his blade. They were at a stalemate. Until Anakin regained his breath and rushed from the other side.

Hours had passed. Actual hours. Four of them. Padmé had been taken to the MedCentre to be greeted with the news that there was a fleet of med droids, two medical lieutenants, and no birth specialist. The lieutenants had only ever treated wounds and diseases that effected their male human crew of clones. The droids only contained basic birthing programming. So now they were frantically searching databases but were of little help as the contractions she was experiencing came closer together.

She wasn't mad, just worried. Even more worried that the broadcast of Anakin and Obi-Wan's fight with the Chancellor continued and was not progressing. Each second watching it was agony, to know he was still alive but very soon might not be.

Captain Rex and Commander Cody were watching the fight from the briefing room. Neither of them were specialists in space battles and had little assistance to offer as the _Saviour_ was fending off an attack from a Separatist frigate while at the same time trying to obliterate a dreadnought class destroyer.

"This is going nowhere," Cody noted with frustration, hating standing back with nothing to do. "We have to help them."

"You know," Captain Rex watched as Anakin took yet another bolt of lightning and this time managed to catch it into a glowing ball of energy in his bare left hand. "It was clones who massacred the Jedi in the temple, by overwhelming them with sheer numbers." He looked up from the holo to look Cody directly in the eye. "Clones who are sworn to protect the Republic. I didn't plan this entire mission to rescue Skywalker so he could die a week later."

Commander Cody didn't take long to catch on. "How many do you think we'd need?"

"As many as can fit in that office."

They both turned back to the holo, assessed and then said in unison "100."

"Two platoons," Rex specified.

"Both our teams. Two waves," Cody agreed.

"I'll brief the Senator."

"I'll brief Yularen."

"Rendezvous in the hanger bay in five minutes," Rex nodded with decision and they parted at a run.

Captain Rex entered the medical bay to the sound of the Senator's harsh breathing and a low moan of pain.

"Err, Lady Skywalker," he interrupted, then glanced away in embarrassment.

"What?!" Padmé demanded.

"We have a plan to assist the General," he offered tentatively.

She grit her teeth, said nothing and he saw her turning a deep shade of red as she struggled to breathe.

"How can you," she finally gasped out. "Help them defeat a Sith Lord?"

"Blasters, milady," he said succinctly. "Lots and lots of blasters. Cody and I are leading two teams, we'll storm the office and fire until that Seppie is dead."

Padmé's back arched and she cried out in a long, drawn out scream.

"Do it!" she spat at the end of it. "I was not. Supposed to. Be in labour. On a military vessel. Over Coruscant!"

Rex nodded, turned on his heel and hurried to get out of the med bay. Ahsoka sent him a panicked look as she asked pleadingly "do you need any help Captain?"

"No no," he hurriedly assured. "Just clones. You – you stay here and protect Lady Skywalker."

"Rex!" Padmé called just as he was about to escape. He turned his head to catch her last instruction. "Keep him safe."

"Yes milady," he nodded once, sharp and true, then dashed for the hanger bay.

Four laden troop transports blasted through the hanger shields and down towards the planet. A squadron of fighters formed up alongside, shooting off the Separatists vulture droids that arrowed for them. All four transports made it into the atmosphere and screamed across Coruscant heading directly for the Senate building.

"A line of charges, blow out the windows," Boyle's advice came through all their headsets.

"Agreed," Rex affirmed.

"Transport alpha, do a fly by, throw self adhesive charges and keep moving. Detonate once you're at a safe distance and come around for a second pass," Cody ordered to his lead team.

"Shadow Stalkers, move in directly after the debris has settled," Rex picked up. "New Hope, we're at their six."

"Swing in, get Skywalker and Kenobi to the floor and start firing," Cody planned. "Fire until your power cell is depleted then drop to the floor and let the next wave take over."

"Fire until he's dead," Rex affirmed the final order as they swept into sight.

Smoke could be seen still billowing from the main roof of the rotunda. Flashes of lightsabers visible through the transparisteel once they got in close to the Chancellor's office.

"Nooo!" Anakin called at their destination as Obi-Wan fell, unconscious after the Chancellor managed to collapse a tall statue and it fell without warning, hitting his master's head.

Anakin's saber deactivated and he reached out, eyes closing as he concentrated with everything he had to capture the heavy statue and keep it from completely crushing his master's body.

"If you won't join me," Chancellor Palpatine calmly stepped over his destroyed desk towards Anakin's prone body. "Then you will be destroyed."

Anakin jerked as lightning struck him once more, but this time he was too focused on Obi-Wan. He used everything he had to throw the falling statue away from his master's body. But he himself stumbled, arcing in agony as the electricity travelled through him. He was utterly exhausted, had nothing left to fight with.

"And now, young Skywalker. You will die," Palpatine got in one last shot as he approached him.

At that moment the windows blew out.

The Chancellor was momentarily stunned. Anakin took a step back and his knee clipped the back of the lounge.

"Drop General!" came the filtered voice of a clone.

The force prompted it as well. Exhausted, he dropped.

And a rain of laser fire began.

The Chancellor's outraged "WHAT?!" was drowned out as ten laser bolts simultaneously drilled into his body. Then one hundred. Then one thousand. Anakin raised his head to see a line of clone troopers had jet packed in through the window, were crouched and firing at the Sith lord who had been caught off guard. Then a second wave jet packed in, stood behind their comrades at full height and joined in.

More appeared by their sides.

Palpatine caught the first few on his lightsaber and hurled the bolts back, absorbed by the protective clone armour. But no force user, Jedi or Sith, could survive that level of fire power. They shot and shot and shot.

No one could say who landed the first one, whose blaster bolt slipped through. But the second got through quicker. Then a third. The Chancellor's frustrated cry at being tagged affected his defensive lightsaber form. Soon a fourth bolt took him. Then one got him in the gut. Another in the face. His lightsaber dropped and deactivated.

The clone army he had created, armed with weapons he'd misappropriated from the Republic, trained with evil he'd devised, but taught by the courage of their rebellious young Jedi leader, filled his poisoned body with destructive laser energy.

The Jedi to whom they had all pledged their loyalty, who had inspired ordinary human soldiers to turn on their evil leader and fight for the good of the Republic, collapsed unconscious onto the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

He came to on the transport as he was evacuated back to the _Saviour_.

"Sir!" Rex was over him, looking mighty relieved.

"The Chancellor?" Anakin asked weakly.

"Dead," Rex confirmed. "Very very dead."

A smile crooked Anakin's battered face.

"Padmé?" he asked more desperately. "Is she – safe?"

Captain Rex's silence did not please him.

"Rex!" he barked, struggling to sit up.

The medic's hand touched his shoulder and sent an exasperated glare at Rex as he worked to tend the General's extensive injuries.

"Errr, she made it back to the ship sir," Rex hedged.

"Is she safe?" Anakin repeated angrily.

Rex shared a look with the medic, scratched the back of his neck nervously, then admitted. "I – I don't know General."

"If you've allowed her to come to any harm," Anakin tried again to sit up threateningly but this time Rex held his hands out.

"It wasn't me sir! It was you! She was in labour when I left. Pretty advanced by the looks of it."

That made Anakin stop with a startled "What?!"

"Yes General. She asked that we keep you safe."

Anakin shook off his daze and drunkenly got to his feet. "PILOT!" He bellowed over the sound of the roaring wind. The pilot's head turned fractionally to indicate he was listening. "Get me back on the _Saviour_ NOW!"

"Yes General," came the sharp acknowledgement.

Only then did Anakin look around and realise he was alone. "Obi-Wan?!" he suddenly looked up to Captain Rex, terrified.

"Made it through, sir," Rex confirmed. "He was unconscious as well, Commander Cody and his medic are treating him on one of the other transports."

Anakin nodded, grabbed on to a hand hold just as the ship banked and they blasted free of the stratosphere and into free space. They were tagged by a stray bolt and rocked dangerously, but experienced no other challenge as they fled to the _Saviour_ , making it to her hanger bay without incident.

The General dropped to his knees, then passed out again just as they landed. Captain Rex looked worriedly to his medic who rolled his dark eyes. "He needs to be in the Med Bay," was the exasperated response to being assigned a patient who wouldn't be treated.

Anakin came to just as they were carrying his dead weight through the doorway of the MedCentre. He pushed away the medic but allowed Captain Rex to continue propping him up. When he walked in the door he saw Padmé. Sweaty, tired, her damp brown hair clinging in messy curls to the back of her neck. With a tiny bundle of blankets tucked in her arms.

"Padmé," he choked in disbelief, staggering.

She looked up at him, tears already wet on her cheeks, her features dissolved in soft wonder.

"The baby –?" he realised, staggering over as she mouthed a hopeful "Ani," then looked down again.

He made it over to her only to suddenly see the Duchess Satine, seated by Padmé's side, her arms crooked at the same angle.

"They're twins," Padmé whispered in disbelief as he reached her side, leaning in to press his lips to her forehead in agonised relief.

He pulled back to look down at their baby, a beautiful sweet little thing with curious eyes assessing him from the cradle of Padmé's arms. Then he glanced at the Duchess, whose arms held another little person curled tight to her chest.

A chair was shoved beneath him and he collapsed in wonder.

"Ani, we had twins," Padmé repeated in astounded shock.

The Duchess rose, rounded the bed and wordlessly put the bundle, _his child_ , into his arms.

"This is Luke," Padmé reached down and put her lips to the baby's forehead. "And you are holding –"

"Leia," he breathed in a soft sigh of wonder as he took her up in his arms and caressed her to him. Freeing one hand so he could trace a fingertip down her tiny little nose. Smaller than his thumbnail.

Briefly he glanced up to Padmé, a radiant smile rising to beam from his features. "No wonder you were getting so big!"

"Yes," Padmé shared a very private smile then looked down to Luke again. "No wonder."

Her head whipped up, worry suddenly creasing her features as she breathlessly asked – "The Emperor?"

"Gone," Anakin spared her a brief smile before he reached back down to touch Leia's balled up fist, the tiny delicate fingers. "Captain Rex has saved me twice now."

A distraught "Obi-Wan!" made them both glance across to where Obi-Wan's unconscious body was being stretchered into the MedBay and the Duchess Satine was rushing to his side.

Padmé looked to Anakin who quickly assured "He's alive. He took a blow to the head."

She winced, then nodded sagely. "It's been a hard day for all of us."

"They have impeccable timing," Anakin wondered, standing briefly so he could come and sit next to her on the bed. He shifted Leia to the crook of one arm, then lifted his other to place over Padmé's shoulder. Soon she was tucked into his embrace, the twins side by side before them.

"Look at you two," Padmé cooed softly to the sweet little things. She laid her head on his shoulder and began crying again. For what reason, she couldn't say. "They're beautiful," she whispered in a choked sob to her husband.

"Yes," he agreed. "They really are."

He placed his daughter down on his thighs, then put both arms around Padmé and hugged her tight.

"You survived," he whispered, his own throat choking as he only now allowed himself to think of that awful nightmare he'd suffered so many months ago.

"I survived," she assured quietly, her hand finding his and squeezing tightly.

He swallowed, placed his cheek on top of her head and looked down to the children again. "You were supposed to be born on Naboo," he scolded their uncomprehending ears.

Padmé's soft laughter surrounded the small family.

It was some hours later when Admiral Yularen appeared in his MedCentre to survey the damage. Anakin was the only Skywalker awake, sitting up with Luke's boneless form slumbering peacefully against his chest.

"Admiral," he greeted in a low murmur.

"General," the greeting was returned. "I heard a report that Lady Skywalker doubled new recruits to the Jedi order. This must be one of them," he smiled down to Luke.

"I'm a very lucky man," Anakin grinned.

"Is she doing alright?" Yularen double checked, looking towards a Padmé who was well and truly sleeping, Leia curled up beside her.

"Resting comfortably," the fond smile sent her way could not be concealed.

Then he looked to the Admiral and for the first time in hours actually remembered where they were. "The Separatists?" he wanted to know.

"We're getting there," the general assured. "Tarkin's ships finally appeared, though it's clear he was hoping he missed the entire thing. That man is entirely without honour," Yularen was clearly disgusted.

For the first time, Anakin agreed. At one stage he had admired Tarkin for his ability to do anything required to get the job done, to see the mission through. But now he saw Tarkin as more akin to a battle droid, only able to follow his original command without seeing the bigger picture.

"Did you need something from me, Admiral?"

Yularen blinked out of his musings of Tarkin's shortcomings to focus on Anakin again. For the first time in this entire ordeal, his face broke into a smile.

"Actually, I came down because there is something I can do for you."

"And that is –?" Anakin led, knowing that there was nothing else in the universe he needed now that Padmé was safe and the twins had arrived.

Yularen stood at his full height, hands behind his back.

"As the highest ranking officer on this vessel it is my honour to officially validate any births that occur under my command. Today I have the privilege of validating two of them."

He reached out a hand and his aide handed him a data pad which he began typing into.

"Names?" he prompted.

Anakin grinned even wider. "Luke and Leia."

"Very well. I, Admiral Wulff Yularen, commander of this fleet and lead officer of the _G.A.R. Saviour_ certify that on this day, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Skywalker, were born to Senator Padmé Amidala and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker aboard my vessel, while in orbit over the planet of Coruscant, and as such are considered full citizens of the Republic."

Yularen handed over the datapad to Anakin for approval, who nodded and watched as the Admiral nodded once, accepted the datapad back and officially filed the births.

"I should return to the bridge. Congratulations General Skywalker."

"Thank you Admiral."

"Two, Anakin?" a weak voice asked from across the room.

"Master!" he was up and across to Obi-Wan's bedside within a moment.

"Two?" Obi-Wan repeated.

Anakin glanced down to Luke again, utterly in love with his tiny offspring.

"You never do anything by halves," Obi-Wan sighed.

"Twins," he confirmed. "Leia is asleep with her mother and this," he proudly showed off, his voice lowering to an almost whisper of reverence "Is my very perfect son Luke."

He looked into his friend's eyes as they struggled to open with a vast amount of relief.

"The Sith?" Obi-Wan wouldn't even give him a name.

"Dead," Anakin confirmed.

"You did it," Obi-Wan whispered with a struggle. "Qui-Gon was right. You are the Chosen one."

"Actually," Anakin looked down at his biggest accomplishment, one of the children he had bestowed on Padmé. "It was Captain Rex," he freely gave away the praise. "He and Commander Cody stormed the office with their platoons. They just kept firing until he died."

Obi-Wan snorted, a laugh of disbelief as he queried "You're joking?"

"I am not," Anakin confirmed.

"It's so," Obi-Wan screwed up his face in disgust. "Inelegant. Blasters."

Anakin nodded, looked down to Luke and stroked his pink cheek.

"The Sith destroyed by the army he created," Obi-Wan murmured in wonder.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Obi-Wan moved his hand, meaning to touch his aching forehead only to find it trapped under a heavy weight. He sat up a bit and glanced down. Anakin followed his gaze and patted his master's shoulder. "She's been here since they brought you in," they both studied the unconscious Duchess, her sleeping cheek resting on Obi-Wan's hand. "She's been very worried about you."

Leia stirred across the room, and Anakin immediately turned to look in her direction, all his attention focused on the child who was barely hours old and tucked in next to his heart. "Excuse me," he stood, leaving Obi-Wan to lift his hand and cup the Duchess's cheek with a gentle urging of "Satine."

Padmé stirred just as Anakin was laying Luke down beside her. She woke to the feeling of his lips lovingly touching her forehead.

She didn't say anything, smiling at his presence then opening her eyes to find him hovering over her.

"How are you feeling?" he ran a hand over her arm worriedly.

"Sore," she admitted. "Overwhelmed." Her hand covered his and she looked up at him with a tentative smile. "So happy."

Both their eyes looked down to the twins laid beside her. Leia was mewling, unhappily writhing in her tight blanket.

Padmé struggled to sit up and Anakin helped, grabbing two more pillows and placing them behind her head.

"Leia," she cooed gently, cautiously lifting her daughter from the bed and into her arms.

Anakin picked the slumbering Luke up again and took the space provided to sit beside her.

"The Separatist Fleet?" Padmé asked.

Anakin watched in wordless shock as she bared her breast and Leia's mouth hungrily took the offering.

"Anakin?" she prompted, looking up. Smiling. "Ani," she called again.

He blinked rapidly, briefly looked to her face then stole another glance at Leia. "Hmm?"

"The fleet? Is the battle over? Where are we?"

"Coruscant," he managed to drag his gaze away. "They're tidying up now. The Separatist Fleet is almost destroyed."

"And our vessels?"

"We lost two," he reached out and ran his fingertip over Leia's suckling cheek. "We could go to Naboo," he offered with complete innocence, surprising her. "Now that the Sith are gone and the war is over."

"I fear the droids are gone, but the war isn't over," Padmé corrected. "And what about the Jedi order?"

A soft snort and his arm came up around her shoulder. "I am a Jedi," he confirmed. "And I will help them rebuild the order, restore the Temple. But these past two weeks have shown me I need neither of those things."

He cupped her cheek and turned her to him, meeting her lips gently.

"We have been husband and wife," he revelled. "For two weeks. Everyone knew it, and we still managed to serve, to save the troopers who put all their faith in us and to destroy the Sith."

He looked across the room, to where Obi-Wan was cupping the Duchess of Mandalore's hand. His eyes pointedly landed on the two, then turned back to Padmé where he kissed her again.

"Obi-Wan knows. The remaining Jedi do too or soon will. Half the clone army knows and gave their lives to save our marriage and our family. There is no reason for us to live a lie anymore."

His fingers caressed her neck then fell away while his lips curved into a smile. "Being your husband, in public as well as in private, is nothing like I dreamed it would be. Every time they call you Lady Skywalker my heart clenches."

She leaned into him. "The Senate will not look kindly on it, and for once I don't care." She turned her head, placed her lips to his hand as it caressed her upperarm.

"Excuse me General," a bridge officer had appeared beside them, taking notice of one sleeping child and speaking quietly while trying desperately to keep his eyes away from Padmé feeding the other. "Sorry to interrupt but you're needed on the bridge."

Anakin's brow furrowed but he stood, laying Luke out beside Padmé on the bed. "I'll be back soon," he assured her and leaned over to give her a swift kiss.

"What is it?" he asked the trooper as they strode from the MedBay.

"Tarkin, sir. The Separatist ships have all been destroyed, our brothers under Tarkin's command are now turning on us."

Anakin picked up his pace, moving to a run as he sped for the turbolift. This was not good news at all.

"Admiral," he greeted a moment later when he raced out onto the bridge. "Report!"

Yularen looked up from where he was standing over the shoulder of one of his tactical officers.

" _Admiral_ Tarkin," he pointed to a holo image, the rank coming out with disgust. "Feels we should surrender."

Anakin didn't need any more exposition.

"Admiral Tarkin," he greeted angrily. "Stand down. The Separatists have been destroyed and we are _not_ a threat."

"Oh I beg to differ Skywalker. The last of the Jedi? You and Kenobi are the only threat that remains to the Empire."

"What _Empire_?" Anakin refused to listen. "The Chancellor was the Sith Lord. He was defeated hours ago. You must have seen it, it was on public broadcast."

"Yesss," Admiral Tarkin agreed. "And until the Senate elects a new head, the Grand Army of the Republic's Forces come under the highest ranking officer's command. Since Yularen and Kilian are _traitors,"_ he spat that word. "And all others have met with unfortunate ends in the last few weeks, that only leaves me," he smiled snidely.

Then his tone turned dark and evil "You will surrender Skywalker."

"Actually," Padmé appeared at his side. Anakin had felt her coming but hadn't betrayed that knowledge on his features. He tried not to wince at the pain she was in, wondering how she'd gotten up here so quickly.

"Matters of security, including direction of the army, are delegated to the _Jedi_ , when the Chancellor is incapacitated. Military Creation act paragraph 504 section c." She turned, mimed a surprised look at the husband standing by her side, then turned back to Tarkin. "Anakin seems to be the highest ranking of the Jedi conscious at the moment, a member of the Council."

He'd forgotten that.

Her own words were soft and deadly as she ordered "Stand down Tarkin."

"I will not!" he declared resolutely. Turned to his own bridge crew. "Fire at will."

The shot never came. Tarkin looked over his shoulder, demanding to have his order obeyed. Two troopers came out of nowhere and dragged him off.

"General Skywalker!" a clone replaced him, decked out in a bridge officer's uniform and standing to tight attention. "Our forces have slowly had the chip removed since word of your rebellion spread. We were made to serve the Republic _NOT_ the Emperor." His eyes flickered to something out of the holocam's range but they could all hear Tarkin protesting loudly. "We are instruments of government sir and we will follow the law. And our Jedi leader."

Padmé and Anakin both smiled as Tarkin screamed "you will be court-martialled for this!" in the background.

"He's headed to the brig sir," the Captain reported, all business. "What are you orders?"

"Stand down your weapons, repair your ship, let your crews rest and take an inventory. Pass that message on to your sister ship. We all need to do the same. We will convene a meeting in twelve hours time to plan further."

"Sir," the Captain nodded and the transmission clicked off.

Anakin quickly turned to Padmé and worried "what are you doing up? You should be in bed." He reached forward and took her hand in his as he admitted "though I'm glad you were here. Tarkin is..."

He couldn't find the word but she could.

"A gnat. And he will be swatted like one when the Senate hears of this. I am sure where there is one war crime there are more that we don't know of. He should have been court-martialled after Ahsoka's wrongful arrest."

"Still," Anakin looked out the front viewport to where a flotilla of Republic Cruisers, Frigates, blockade runners, half the army's vessels now lay in silence surrounded by Separatist debris. "We need to get moving and clean this mess up. Supplies can't move on or off Coruscant safely until we do."

Padmé rubbed her face tiredly. "And I don't want to rely on that obscure ruling to keep the tiny number of Jedi overseeing the army, you're too vulnerable."

He nodded. "You need to convene another senate session."

She giggled, completely unexpectedly and Anakin place his arms around her.

"What?" he asked, her mirth infectious.

"I can't convene a senate session, no one can."

He titled his head in confusion.

"I didn't tell you how we escaped the chamber."

Her eyes darted to the command crew with mirth, then back to the anticipation sparkling in the sweet blue depths of her husband's eyes.

"Oh?" he asked curiously, following her gaze to the bridge officers in surprise. "This should be good."

"Admiral Yularen brought the _Saviour_ into the atmosphere, blew a hole in the roof and sent his troopers in with jet packs."

Anakin's eyes widened, then he turned to Yularen with a massive grin on his face. "Admiral!" he exclaimed in hearty congratulations. "That is a daring rescue!"

Yularen shook his head, still surprised that he'd conceived of such a thing, let alone undertaken it.

"I _have_ been rubbing off on you after all," he was quite cheerful as he hugged Padmé to him.

"Yes," Padmé tried not to laugh again, though it was hard. "Unfortunately, we now have a Senate chamber with no roof or security, and a desperate need for a vote to stabilise the government." She winced.

"You need to be back in the MedCentre," he determined the more important need, turning them towards the turbolifts.

She rested her head on his shoulder and didn't protest, letting the arm around her waist steady her as they returned to their family.

* * *

"I don't like this."

A week later Anakin folded his arms across his chest and watched the lines of hyperspace draw sharp around them. "Leaving Coruscant without the protection of any of the cognizant Jedi is a mistake."

"Perhaps that's a good thing," Padmé came to stand by his side.

"It's not," he said firmly.

"The people, the Senators, will feel exposed and vulnerable."

As they slipped into the full stream of hyperspace he turned away from the window and back to the bustle of the briefing room.

"And how is that a good thing?"

"They'll miss you," Padmé said simply.

He sent her a sharp, disapproving look.

"Propaganda," she reminded. "Realise they used to feel safer when the Jedi Temple was bustling with life. When the Republic's fleet was constantly on planet undergoing maintenance. Now there will be nothing. No Sith, no Jedi, no functioning army. Unprotected."

A smirk fleetingly touched his lips at the vague wariness he himself was feeling on their behalf.

"Besides, what was left of the droid army has been destroyed, your fleet saw to that," she was confident of their plan.

"There are likely to be remnants of the Separatist armies that were out of range when the original news was spread. There will be flare ups."

"Then Admiral Kilian will take care of it," she soothed, reminding him that only Yularen's fleet were accompanying them on this particular excursion. "It's important that we start with Mandalore and go from there."

"I know," Anakin sighed. "I am looking forward to watching Obi-Wan talk his way out of this one," he brightened.

"Oh he won't," Satine broke into their conversation, striding into the room with the Jedi in question at her back. "Tradition is very important to the Mandalorian people, as he well knows. We _will_ attend a welcome home parade, my people are eager to celebrate the end of the war and the first official engagement of their next Duke."

"Jedi consort," Obi-Wan crossly corrected, his distaste for the title would be bestowed upon him evident. He didn't like ' _Duke'_ , he would take 'Jedi Consort'.

"My darling, there _is_ no such title." She said it in a way that made it clear they'd been having this conversation for some time before they joined Anakin and Padmé in the briefing room.

"Then you will decree it one," he retorted.

"It is not _tradition_ ," she stressed, a firm answer of ' _no'_ on the tip of her tongue.

"Jedi do not traditionally marry either," he countered.

"I don't know how those Jedi could stand it," Anakin's soft commentary was only meant to be heard by Padmé.

The words were a little too loud and Obi-Wan's accusatory blue eyes turned on him with exasperation. "You're not helping."

"Sorry master," his downcast eyes did not fool Obi-Wan for a moment. "I am on your side. You would not be having this debate, the Duchess would be finding another candidate for husband, if you weren't breaking with your own tradition."

Here Satine paused, then she moved close to Obi-Wan and ran the tip of her finger down his cheek. "I think these many years have proven that there is no other candidate for husband. Upon my death the title would have fallen to my nephew."

"Then you will be happy to have me just to yourself?" he pressed.

" _I_ will be," she smiled lovingly at him. "My _people_ will not."

"Satine!" he continued to protest.

"Obi-Wan," she snapped back. "If you are to be my husband and the father of the next Mandalorian leader –"

"I did not agree to this business of an heir – !"

"Then you must see –" she kept on talking through his interruption

"Duchess," Padmé stepped in now. "Perhaps you two could debate this in private at a later time. For now we must prepare your homecoming, for Mandalore and for the greater Republic."

Satine turned to her friend, realised they were far from alone in the briefing room as clones hovered over the tactical stations along one wall and Yularen strode in with his command officers.

"Yes of course," the blonde woman conceded in her cultured accent. She shot Obi-Wan a pointed look. "We will discuss this later."

"I'm sure we will," he huffed under his breath, earning a glare from his Duchess and a grin poorly concealed behind a black glove from his apprentice.


	11. Epilogue

Anakin was caressing Padmé's fingers, holding her hand as she ascended into an opulent open-top speeder on the outskirts of Sandoon. They were preparing for the very public welcome from the Mandalorian people who had flocked to the planet's capital. The royal leader and her paramour were already loaded into the first craft, ready to lead the parade. He was handing Padmé up into their own carriage, to follow after.

Just as he set a boot onto the hovering footplate, stepping up to join her, Leia let out an ear-piercing shriek. Pausing, Anakin turned back to where the twins waited with Threepio and Captain Rex. They weren't a part of the official welcome, they were destined to follow moments later under his loyal Captain's watchful eye and Threepio's meticulous care.

"Shhh, little one," Anakin soothed, stepping back down out of the carriage and lifting her up into his arms without thought. She whimpered unhappily, then settled, her huge eyes blinking up at him with wary glistening tears. "I'm here," he rumbled reassuringly.

Luke, now alone, began to sob uncontrollably without his sister's familiar presence by his side.

Padmé cautiously stepped down out of the carriage, still post-partum tentative, and reached for her distraught son. Without hesitation she lifted his small body to rest against her chest and rested her warm hand on his back.

"Leia's not far," she whispered gently. "Shhh."

Out of her peripheral vision she saw the first speeder holding Satine and Obi-Wan glide away from the dock.

"We have to go," she warned Anakin, sharing a nod with their own driver perched and ready to begin.

He looked down at Leia worriedly, then up to his wife. Knowing they would scream the onlookers into silence if left alone. The twins, he was beginning to realise, were force sensitive. And if they weren't asleep, then they liked to be near their parents and one another. He was loathe to leave them.

Padmé seemed to read his mind instantly. "They'll have to come with us," she decreed and he quickly nodded in agreement.

They both got settled into the speeder, Anakin taking his place by her side with Leia's small head finding a comfortable resting place against the dark cloak covering his broad shoulder. Padmé situated Luke in the natural cradle of her arms and comfortably settled back against the squabs, running her fingers over his cheeks as they passed through the darkened entrance of the city. For a perfect moment it was only they four, private and peaceful.

A roar went up ahead of them, the waiting crowds catching their first glimpse of the saviour Duchess. A rushing wave of suddenly overjoyed thousands lining the parade route carried the emotion through into the darkened entryway. Anakin looked up to see confetti begin flying, filling the air with a snow of colour in celebration of their dedicated Duchess returning triumphant, her romantic engagement loyally at her side. The story of dedicated hearts and the passing of more than fifteen years while they waited for one another had fast spread. The people were now clambering, eager to catch a glimpse and claim Obi-Wan as their own.

Anakin grinned at the reception his friend was getting. Swept up in the celebratory atmosphere he leaned down to place a joyful kiss on Padmé's lips as their grand speeder moved forward. She was grinning too, for her friends, for the hope of restoration of the Republic that lay before them. And for the love of her life who had lived through this ordeal, for the future they would live together and the adventures that lay ahead. She reached up to share that soft kiss with him.

"Ani," she whispered, pulling away just as they were tugged out into the light.

Their loving gaze lingered for a moment longer and then they too were showered with streamers. She had done this before, been welcomed to Mandalore on an official visit. Keeping Luke tucked protectively to her shoulder she raised a hand and waved to the excited onlookers who enthusiastically waved and cheered back.

Anakin reluctantly did the same, careful to keep Leia nice and close. As they moved along at their place in the procession that slowly wound its way to Satine's Royal Palace he couldn't help smiling, the force thronging with the adulation of thousands.

It wasn't their adulation he received, but their joy. Their thanks. Their happiness.

When speeders began pulling up in the Palace's square, they alighted onto the balcony above the crowded throng of people who had all taken to their feet in excitement. Padmé forgot her reasons, all her careful planning for just a moment, and took it in. That was the moment the holocams took over, captured the moment and it broadcast for her.

Duchess Satine stepped forward to address her people. Obi-Wan took a half step and stood silently behind her shoulder, a staunchly faithful protector.

Padmé Amidala, the fearless Senator who had risked her own life to speak in the grand chamber on Coruscant, to wrest the Republic from the hands of the evil Sith Lord, stood in beautiful perfection by Anakin Skywalker, the Hero of the Jedi. Dashing and sure he now stood tall and proud. Side by side the two shared a whispered intimacy and smile, dark toffee eyes twinkling with perfect ice blue, matching infants in each of their arms.

Ahsoka Tano appeared last of all, a lightsaber dangling on her hip and a dark-haired boy, the Senator for a previously Separatist solar system silently preceding her by a single step.

"My fellow Mandalorians," the Duchess spoke and the plaza beneath her went silent, hundreds of thousands of beings spread out before them. "We have kept the galactic war from our home and today that war comes to an end."

A sharp cry rang out and flags began waving in frantic support.

"Many have suffered, on both sides and here at home where rationing and closed trade routes have fostered greed and corruption."

A sombre silence once again began to descend. She raised her defiant chin and continued "Now, it is time to move on. Senator Amidala and I have already begun negotiations to return Mandalore and her fellow sovereign systems to the Republic. It is time we returned to peace, and prosperity."

She held out her hand, inviting them to join her.

"A new beginning!"

Obi-Wan stepped forward and took the outstretched hand though he didn't say a word, careful to craft a place for himself in this new regime, one where he did not become a part of the royal court.

"Six weeks from today I will give my heart to the Jedi I have loved since I was a girl. And we shall all once again trust our hearts to the Republic."

The roar that rose grew louder and louder, reverberating through the plaza, through the entire city. It grew so deafening that Padmé felt Luke cry out against her breastbone but couldn't actually hear him. She placed her hand over the troubled baby's ear and curled him deeper into her chest. But she beamed for her friends, for the hope they were bringing to this and many thousands of other ravaged worlds. For the people Duchess Satine served through the horrors of war, and the brief days of utter elation such as this that one would be lucky to see in their lifetime.

"Kiss her," she barely heard Anakin yell to his friend.

"I don't think now is the time," Obi-Wan didn't look towards them but she caught enough snatches to work out what he'd said.

"Now is exactly the time!" Anakin roguishly countered as the Mandalorian people beneath them chanted in anticipation and his face split into a joyous smile.

Obi-Wan seemed to assess a moment more. He finally leaned in and pressed the lightest of kisses to his Duchess's lips.

Anakin Skywalker grinned at his friend, at the way the stamping of feet in the square below made the buildings rumble. He gave them their moment, then overwhelmed by it all he bent to kiss his own passionate Senator with a mischievous smile quirking at the corners of his lips and their child squirming in his arms.

On the Duchess's other side Lux Bonteri silently slipped his hand into Ahsoka's.

The scene was broadcast across thousands of planets, seen by billions of eyes, brought hope to the darkest corners of the galaxy. The son of a founding Separatist, the leader of a neutral alliance, and the Senator at the heart of the fight for the Republic, resolutely standing side by side as the New Republic was founded in the glowing aura of a new breed of Jedi.

"Peace!" Satine declared triumphantly.

Behind the couples, waiting silently in the background with a protective stance that couldn't be shaken, Captain Rex of the 501st felt a smile twitching at his lips.

And fireworks began exploding overhead in shatteringly bright colours that split the midday sky.

* * *

Th

Thank you to all the lovely people who have taken the time to read, and for all those kind enough to have left a review.


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